CHR: Right to work tied to freedom of movement

The people's right to work has crucial links to their freedom to travel from one place to another, according to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) amid the glitches and gridlocks plaguing Metro Manila's transport system.

"The Commission, alarmed by the increasing incidence of congestion, thereby urges the government to act quickly and reminds duty-bearers that the right to work is inextricably tied with internal freedom of movement," CHR spokesperson Atty. Jacqueline Ann de Guia said in a statement.

She pointed out that acknowledgment of the existence of the transport problem is the first step towards solving it.

"Inaction in the face of massive and widespread congestion throughout the Metro impinges not only on the physical and mental health of commuters, who stand for long hours on end while anxiously waiting for a ride to work (or home), but also hampers the [delivery] of basic social services—such as the right to health through speedy and adequate access to medical care in cases of medical emergencies necessitating the use of an ambulance," De Guia said.

Nonetheless, the CHR said it recognizes the efforts under the administration's flagship infrastructure program '"Build, Build, Build," but added that it hopes the government would do more to foster a "more efficient public transport system."

Malacañang denied that there is a mass transport crisis in Metro Manila, as opposed to the claim of militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan).

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo took on the "commute challenge" last week. It took him almost four hours to reach his office.

He, however, maintained that there is no paralysis of the mass transport system but only a traffic crisis. —Dona Magsino/KG, GMA News