5 minutes from Makati to Quezon City? Forget it for now, says Panelo

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo. (File photo from Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Metro Manila motorists and commuters can forget President Rodrigo Duterte’s promise of a five-minute travel time between Quezon City and Makati City – for now.

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo on Monday (Dec. 23) admitted that the President’s promise to reduce travel time on Edsa by December is not doable.

This does not mean, however, that Duterte would renege on his promise to solve Metro Manila’s traffic woes, said Panelo.

“There’s only a few days left. But for December, I guess we can forget it for now. Unless you want to ride a chopper,” Panelo said on Monday.

He made the remarks when asked on the President’s promise to improve Metro Manila’s traffic and cut down the travel time between Cubao, Quezon City and Makati City to just five minutes by this December,

He first made the promise at a campaign rally last March, reiterating it anew in June. He said travel time between Cubao and Makati could be a “smooth-sailing” five minutes.

Travelling between Quezon City and Makati City through Edsa usually takes more than an hour.

The President had given up seeking emergency powers to solve Metro Manila’s traffic problem.

He said he would rather let Edsa rot if some politicians would insinuate that he would use the emergency powers for corruption.

On Monday, Panelo said the President made the promise to improve travel time in Metro Manila if certain conditions were met. He did not say what these conditions were.

“He said those given certain conditions. But if these were not present, well, his term is not yet over anyway,” he said, hinting at the possibility that the promise may yet become a reality.

Edited by TSB