Panelo turns down challenge to take public transport for six months

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo has turned down a challenge to commute to and from work for six months straight, saying he does not need to meet the challenge to know how Filipinos are struggling in their daily commute.

On Friday, Panelo took almost four hours commuting from his home in Marikina City to Malacañang Palace in Manila.

The Palace official was dared anew, this time by commuter group Kongreso ng Mananakay, to do a six-month challenge. On the other hand, Iligan City representative Frederick Siao proposed that high-ranking government officials to commute once a week.

“Wala na ‘yun. Kahit hindi ka sumakay roon araw-araw, nakikita natin ‘yung mahabang pila sa antayan ng jeep, bus… [mga taong] nakikipagunahan sumakay. Hindi na kailangan ang ganung hamon,” Panelo said during a press briefing in Malacañang on Monday.

“Kung ang purpose ang maranasan ng opisyales ang nararanasan ng ating mga kababayan, express sympathy, ‘di na kailangan,” Panelo added.

Instead, the Palace official challenged the public to pitch solutions to solving the traffic crisis—including Vice President Leni Robredo who earlier said that the government could not solve the traffic crisis if it continues to deny that a crisis exists.

“Tama na ang kritisismo. Susmaryosep, sinabi na nga na may traffic crisis. Hindi lang nagkaintindihan. Kung transport crisis, may paralysis. Eh, wala namang paralysis. Pero may crisis pa rin,” Panelo said.

He initially claimed that there was no traffic crisis in Metro Manila since people still manage to reach their respective destinations.

But after experiencing a near four-hour commute to work, he conceded there is a traffic crisis but not a paralysis of the mass transport system.

“When you say mass transport crisis, you have to refer to … there is a paralysis of the entire mass transit system. But there is a traffic crisis definitely and there is also a crisis in the suffering of commuters as well as motorists. Walang kaduda-duda ‘yan,” Panelo said. —VDS, GMA News