Solon wants gov’t execs to take public transpo once a week

A lawmaker on Saturday proposed that all elected officials and ranking civil servants should take public transportation every Monday to ease traffic in Metro Manila, following presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo’s "commute challenge."

Iligan City Representative Frederick Siao plans to file a House measure entitled "Public Servants' Commuting via Public Transport Act."

Siao, chairman of the House Committee on Civil Service and Professional Regulation, said this would remind officials "of the suffering the masses endure on a consistent basis."

"[E]very Monday, all government vehicles used to fetch and bring home public officials from the division chiefs to cabinet secretaries to elected public officials would be grounded at their respective motor pools,” Siao said.

"That would already be thousands of government vehicles off the streets, enough to significantly decongest traffic. Those ranking civil servants should commute using any of the available options... Tuwing Monday lang naman," he added.

According to Siao, ranking civil servants may take tricycles, jeepneys, buses, FX/UVs, light rail, PNR trains, TNVS units, and even bicycles.

He credited  17th Congress Representative Neil Abayon for the idea.

Panelo on Friday took a 3.5-hour commute from Quezon City, to Marikina, then to Malacañang after being challenged by several groups to take public transportation.

Panelo’s gesture “can help show to the public that the government  knows the situation on the ground” and that Malacañang is not “isolated," Siao said. — Joahna Lei Casilao/MDM, GMA News