MANILA, Philippines — There is no mass transport crisis yet in Metro Manila since commuters are still able to arrive at their destination, Malacañang said Tuesday.

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“Mukha namang wala pa. Wala. (It looks like there is none yet. There is none.),” Palace Spokesman Salvador Panelo said during a Palace briefing when asked if he thinks there is a mass transport crisis in Manila.

Panelo reasoned commuters still arrive at their destination, saying “Kasi nga nakakarating pa naman yung mga dapat makarating sa kanilang paparoonan.” (Because commuters still arrive at where they are supposed to go)

Militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) earlier claimed that Metro Manila is experiencing a mass transport crisis since all three rail systems in the capital region crashed just within a week.

READ: Metro Manila now suffering a mass transport crisis — Bayan

Panelo suggested commuters should leave earlier so that they also arrive earlier at their respective destinations.

“May solusyon naman don e. If you want to go, arrive early to your destination then you go there earlier,” he said. [There is a solution to this. If you want to go, arrive early to your destination then you go there earlier.]

“Ano bang ibig sabihin nila sa transportation crisis? Ang nakikita ko lang yung traffic. May transportation naman ah. Nakakasakay naman tayong lahat,” Panelo added.

[What do they mean by transportation crisis? What I only see is the traffic. There is transportation. All of us still get rides.]

Panelo also mentioned how there is a “big improvement” in terms of the rail system since it now only bogs down once a week instead of every day.

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“Oh diba andyan pa naman yung tatlong LRT [Light Rail Transit] ba yun? Nabasa ko yung paliwanag nila dati daw halos araw araw nagbobogdown ngayon daw once a week na lang. So malaki daw ang improvement,” Panelo said.

[The three LRT [Light Rail Transit] is still there right? I read their explanation of how they used to bog down every day, but only once a week now. They said there is an improvement.]

“Kung araw araw naging once a week, edi ang laki nga ng improvement,” he continued.

[If it used to bog down every day and now it’s only once a week, then there is indeed a big improvement.]

Panelo, however, stressed the need for more improvement and stressed that the situation of should not last “forever.”

“Kailangan magkaroon ng improvement. Di naman pupuwedeng forever tayong ganito [There should be an improvement. We cannot be this way forever],” he said. /muf

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