Proving that walking is not a hindrance for anyone who wants to reach his or her destination, GMA 7 news reporter Raffy Tima walked from EDSA Cubao to Makati on under the glaring sun and mild heat temperature on the major thoroughfare, last Tuesday, second day of general community quarantine.
Tima, a veteran news reporter, walked the stretch of EDSA as Metro Manila shifts to GCQ alongside many people who were going back to work but couldn’t get a decent rides.
Senator Nancy Binay blamed the lack of public transportation on the government that was “not prepared” to manage mobility requirements under a GCQ scenario “since there were no adequate buses or public transportation to ferry commuters to and from work.”
“Ano ba talaga ang plano ng DOTr sa (What really is the plan of the Department of Transportation for) commuters? Three months under ECQ [enhanced community quarantine] and still they have no clear plan in place. What happened to foresight? Mabuti sila’t aircon ang mga sasakyan (Lucky for them their cars have aircon),” Binay said in a statement.
The sentiment of Sen. Binay reflects the current situation of the commuters finding it difficult to get a ride, leaving them with no choice but to walk instead.
As far from Caloocan and Commonwealth in Quezon City, commuters had to endure long hours of walking, strained muscles, thirst, and worse, a possible heat strokes, just to get to their work places.
Tima met some of them as he traversed the EDSA highway. “It’s either these commuters bring their bikes or walk to their destinations because this is now the new normal,” he said while filming his adventure through his action camera. I think he was using a GoPro there.
Going back to Binay, the senator dares the DOTr officials to commute from their homes all the way to their offices (in Clark or Ortigas) for them to understand the plight of these people suffering from inadequate public transportation.
“They knew that 30% of those in NCR [National Capital Region] will start going to work by June 1—tapos ang idi-deploy eh truck ng libreng sakay (then they will deploy trucks for free rides) which compromise and breach all health protocols particularly physical distancing,” she added.
She also warned that commuters in areas under the GCQ or the modified GCQ will continue to face “chaos” and “travel miseries” should there be no “holistic and realistic” public transport plan in place.
Meanwhile, after two hours of beating the heat of the sun, Tima arrived in Guadalupe in Makati City to end his “alay lakad sa EDSA” experience reporting.
“Ako po si Enzo Luna, para sa Metropoler. Mike Enriquez, passoooooookk!!!”
