illustration by steph bravo
If a Quezon City councilor was to have his way, all elected or appointed government officials holding office in the city—including members of the House of Representatives and Cabinet secretaries—would be required to take the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 or any form of public transportation on the last Friday of every month.
Should they fail to do so, Councilor Ramon Medalla proposed that the violator be given a written or verbal warning from the city’s legal office and meted out fines ranging from P3,000 to P5,000. Repeat offenders, on the other hand, face charges in court.
“The only way government officials will understand the plight of commuters is if they themselves take public [transportation] regularly in order to experience and pinpoint how the same must be addressed accordingly,” Medalla said in his proposed ordinance pushing for a “Public Officials’ Commute Day.”
After Poe, Abaya
In an interview, the councilor said he came up with the idea for the measure after national government officials were dared to ride in the MRT 3 following several breakdowns and accidents, one of which saw a train ramming the barrier at the Pasay-Taft station, resulting in at least 40 passengers being hospitalized for injuries.
Two officials have so far taken the “MRT Challenge”—Sen. Grace Poe and Transportation Secretary Jun Abaya.
“There are some public officials who haven’t experienced riding in commuter jeepneys because they were born with a silver spoon in their mouth. But how can you make laws if you don’t know what the needs are?” Medalla said. “It’s different if you personally experience the breakdowns, the long lines and being exposed to the heat and the rain,” he added.
Medalla said that the ordinance would apply to all public officials in the city, including congressmen, Cabinet secretaries, undersecretaries and assistant secretaries whose central offices are within the city, even officials from government-owned and controlled corporations.