DOTr chief orders officials to commute to work once a week
The officials of the Department of Transportation are ordered to commute every week as part of their plan to improve the commuting experience in the country.
In a directive by DOTr acting secretary Giovanni Lopez, certain officials from the department have been obligated to take public transportation available to them at least once a week from their respective residences to their office.
This would entail the officials taking PUJs or PUVs, the EDSA Busway, the MRT-3, the LRT-1, and the LRT-2, among others.
The mandated officials are as follows:
- Undersecretary and Assistant Secretary for Road Transport and Non-Infrastructure;
- Undersecretary and Director for Road Transport and Infrastructure;
- Undersecretary and Assistant Secretary for Railways;
- Assistant Secretary, Executive Director, Regional Directors, and Assistant Regional Directors of the Land Transportation Office;
- Chairman, Executive Director, Regional Directors, and Assistant Regional Directors of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board;
- The Administrator of the Light Rail Transit Authority;
- The General Manager of the Philippine National Railways;
- The General Manager of DOTr-MRT3
"Itong mga opisyal natin sa Road at Rail sector, sila talaga ‘yung mga dapat lumalabas lagi kasi karamihan ng ating mga proyekto ay nasa mga sektor na ito," Lopez said.
"‘Yung mga ibang opisyal naman sa ibang sectors, hinihikayat din nating mag-commute dahil ito lang talaga yung paraan para makita at madama first hand kung ano ba ang hirap na nararanasan ng mga commuters," he added.
All the officials will be required to submit a weekly accomplishment report that details their observations, recommendations, and plans of action with proof of their compliance.
Their offices will subsequently collate all reports and submit them to the Office of the Secretary for discussion during executive committee meetings of the DOTr.
The order will be implemented beginning Wednesday, Sept. 17. The department noted that Lopez had already begun to commute to work on Monday during the morning rush hour to personally interact with commuters and witness firsthand the challenges they face daily.
Commuting has long been a major issue in the Philippines, with the government coming up with various programs and projects to improve public transportation systems.
For instance, the Love Bus, an iconic mode of transportation from the 1970s, was recently reintroduced to Metro Manila roads to offer commuters free rides.
