Palace urges public to ride 'uncongested' buses amid MRT woes

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang is advising Metro Manila commuters to try other modes of transportation if they experience discomfort when riding the Metro Rail Transit (MRT).

Presidential Communications Sec. Sonny Coloma said the commuters might want to take the thousands of passenger buses that ply EDSA while the additional MRT train coaches or cars have yet to arrive.

Unlike the MRT trains and stations, Coloma said the buses traversing EDSA are "uncongested."

But he also noted that riding the MRT trains has advantages in terms of economy and efficiency since there is no traffic.

"'Yung MRT lang ba ang puwedeng sakyan doon sa mga rutang dinadaanan nito? Baka naman puwedeng matuklasan 'yung iba pang mga options, ano, 'yung ma-encourage din silang gumamit ng ibang means of transportation," Presidential Communications Sec. Sonny Coloma said in a press briefing on Thursday.

"Alam natin na sa EDSA lang, libu-libo ang mga passenger buses. Hindi naman siksikan 'yung mga bus na 'yon," he added.

Coloma also defended embattled MRT general manager Al Vitangcol who is being urged by some sectors to resign.

The Palace official said that it is "overreaching" if all the problems of the train system will be blamed to Vitangcol.

Instead, Coloma cited the increasing population and the commuters' preference to take the trains as among the factors behind the MRT problems.

"'Yun namang pagdami ng tao, e 'yon ba ay maisisisi kay Ginoong Vitangcol?... It comes from the natural increase in population and the propensity of commuters to use a particular mode of public transportation over another," Coloma said. -Louis Bacani