The Department of Transportation is "solution-oriented," not defensive as alleged by critics on social media, Sec. Arthur Tugade said Monday, as he addressed a recent viral photo of masked commuters in long queues for a bus ride.
Rains during that Friday evening aggravated the lines at the MRT stations, Tugade said. More buses were deployed that night and steps were taken to prevent it from happening again.
"'Pag hindi kami sumagot, deadma. Kapag kami'y sumagot, defensive. 'Pag nagbigay ka ng solusyon, hindi totoo. Wala nang katapusang diskusyon 'yan," Tugade told Summit Sandwich Sessions.
WHAT WENT BEFORE: DOTr Answers Viral Photos of Long MRT Lines, Says It's Being Addressed
"Huwag na tayo magtimon, aminin naman natin na gumaan 'yung trapiko at naging maluwag. Alam naman natin kung sino nagsasabi na buwisit ang trapiko sa EDSA," Tugade said.
In an earlier statement, Tugade ordered the implementation of the following to address long lines:
- Revisit the present free ride system, and to study if it may be expanded to other platforms, and not just limit it to the road transport sector
- Push the EDSA Busway Consortium to deploy the maximum number of authorized bus units under their contract to serve more commuters availing of the free bus ride, especially during rush hours, and to add more units as necessary
- Add more transport marshals to properly manage passenger traffic at the various EDSA Carousel stations, and to guarantee fast and orderly passenger bus boarding
- Deploy more "rescue skip buses" to congested EDSA Bus Stops to pick up passengers especially during rush hours
- Open more mini bus loops, so that EDSA busway units can maneuver immediately and fetch passengers
Asec. Goddes Hope Libiran earlier addressed the long lines in an open letter on Facebook. She said those who posted the photos were inciting public anger.
In response to a question, Tugade said doesn't need to be challenged to take the MRT because he does even with TV cameras, like the last weekend.
"'Yung mga nagsasabi n'yan 'pag ako sumakay sa point-to-point (P2P bus), Grab, bus, hindi po ako nagpapa-picture. E 'yung iba sasakay lang kailangan sangkatutak pa ang kasama nyan tapos idadiyaryo," Tugade said.
