ILIGAN CITY –— A lawmaker wants all government officials in Metro Manila to ride public transport every Monday, to help in decongesting the road and give them the feel of the real transport condition in the National Capital Region.
Iligan Lone District Congressman Frederick Siao will propose a bill in Congess, mandating all elected and appointed government officials, including cabinet secretaries to take a public transport, saying it will help in alleviating the traffic problem.
Siao, chairman of the House committee on civil service and professional regulation said, he will introduce a bill entitled “Public Servants’ Commuting via Public Transport Act”.
He even plans to conduct an experiment in Metro Manila, citing the recent experience of Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo, who took a public transport in going to Malacañang.
“We appreciate the effort and good example of Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo when he endured his 3 1/2 hour commute from Marikina to Malacanang. His gesture showed that the government knows the situation on the ground and that Malacanang is not an isolated seat of government,” said Siao,
The proposal will compel every government official to park their government-issued in their respective motorpool and will only be used starting Tuesday.
If realized, Siao said “Over thousand government vehicles will be out of the streets every Monday.”
The proposed bill, as suggested by Siao, is however, silent on how will the government deal with officials who have security concerns or threat.-Divina M. Suson
