Proposal mandates QC-based gov’t officials to commute once a month

MANILA, Philippines - The Quezon City government is looking into a proposal mandating all government officials with offices within the territorial jurisdiction of the city– including all congressmen and some Cabinet secretaries– to take public transport once a month.

Second district councilor Ramon Medalla filed a measure requiring elected and appointed officials in both the local and national government levels to take public transportation once a month.

“The only way government officials will understand the plight of commuters is if they themselves take public transit regularly in order to experience and pinpoint how the same must be addressed accordingly,” said Medalla.

He proposed that all public officials holding office in Quezon City be required to take any form of public transportation every last Friday of the month, provided that it is a regular business day.

In its current form, the measure will cover all congressmen as the House of Representatives is located in the city.

Also covered are heads of several Quezon City-based national government agencies, including that of the Departments of Environment and Natural Resources, Agrarian Reform and Social Welfare and Development.

Medalla also said that his proposal will cover officials from agencies such as the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, the Land Transportation Office, as well as of government-owned and controlled corporations that are based in the city.

City government officials, including Medalla himself, will also be covered by the measure while members of the judiciary, however, are not.

The condition of the proposal is that the official will only be required to take public transportation on the designated date if his or her destination is within the territory of Quezon City. It will apply on both official and personal travels.

“Public transport” is defined by the councilor as any form available, such as public utility buses, jeepneys, tricycles, pedicabs, taxi cabs and the like.

Failure to comply will warrant a penalty of written warning from the city legal office on the first offense; warning with a letter to the Civil Service Commission on the second offense; and warning with fine of P3,000 on the third offense.

Succeeding offenses will result in the issuance of a show cause order, as well as a fine of P5,000.

The measure is currently pending the committee level.

Thousands support petition

Prior to the filing of Medalla’s proposal, more than 12,000 netizens have already expressed support to an online petition asking President Benigno S. Aquino III to require all government officials to take public transportation once a month.

“The only way government officials will understand the plight of commuters is if they themselves take public transit regularly,” read the online petition filed in Change.org (http://chn.ge/1sxelTx).

The petition noted that 80 percent of Metro Manila residents take public transportation every day.

“Yet the dismal state of public transit doesn’t allow them mobility with safety and civility. They suffer long lines, squeeze into jam-packed trains and rickety buses and jeeps, and endure long travel times,” the petitioners said.

“We keep building roads and flyovers that only encourage more people to drive their cars. But we don’t invest in facilities that make it easier for transit riders to get from point A to point B,” they added.

In recent months, various public transportation problems – primarily issues involving the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) – have hounded the riding public.

“Please make this sacrifice so you can all understand the daily realities faced by the majority of your fellow Filipinos,” it added.

Among the government officials who have taken on the so-called “MRT challenge” include Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya, deputy spokesperson Abigail Valte, and Sen. Grace Poe.