Empathy is extra important these days, but it looks like some people in power don’t have it. Today, Senator Nancy Binay called out Department of Transportation (DOTr) for not prioritizing commuters in the general community quarantine (GCQ) guidelines in Metro Manila.
According to Inquirer, Binay expressed her frustration on GCQ protocols today, Jun. 2. “Ano ba talaga ang plano ng DOTr sa commuters?” she asked, also highlighting privilege blindness. “Three months under ECQ and [there’s] still no clear plan in place. What happened to foresight? Mabuti sila’t aircon ang mga sasakyan.”
After this, Binay dared the DOTr, “Eh, kung subukan kaya ng mga opisyal ng DOTr mag-commute mula sa kani-kanilang bahay papasok sa opisina nila [sa Clark o Ortigas]? Dapat maramdaman nila ang hirap na pinagdadaanan ng mga commuter. They won’t be able to plan well if they don’t feel and understand people’s daily struggles,” she continued.
Binay also brought up how the government was “not prepared” to manage the mobility situation under GCQ, with the lack of buses or public transportation to aid the working class.
A tweet by DZMM TeleRadyo reveals how commuters had to squeeze themselves through police patrol cars and trucks on Commonwealth Avenue just to get a ride. Otherwise, many commuters were left stranded on the road. These all happened on the first day of the GCQ. With no follow-up planning, this could endure for the whole GCQ period.
Sen. Binay’s dare might be a good step towards keeping our officials grounded. But shouldn’t it be expected of them already? We can’t pose dares forever like this is all a game. We just posed the same dare to the Palace spokesman last year. They should act like public servants, not YouTube personalities.
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Photo from Inquirer