Commuter woes snag shift to GCQ

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PROBLEMS on traffic congestion, stranded commuters and long lines at train stations greeted Metro Manila’s workforce yesterday as the metropolis transitioned to general community quarantine (GCQ) after 75 days of strict stay-at-home regulations, Joint Task Force COVID Shield commander Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said.

Aside from Metro Manila, other areas that shifted to GCQ on Monday were Cagayan Valley (Region 2); Central Luzon (Region 3); Calabarzon (Region 4-A); Central Visayas (Region 7); Pangasinan province; and the cities of Zamboanga, Davao, Cebu and Mandaue. The rest of the country is under modified GCQ.

Under a GCQ setting, public transport such as trains and shuttle buses were allowed to operate on a limited basis.

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Eleazar, who is the PNP deputy chief for operations, said they anticipated the transportation nightmare since operations of public utility vehicles (PUVs) were still limited. Passenger buses and jeepneys are not yet allowed, at least for now, to operate under GCQ.

“There’s traffic congestion due to more (private) vehicles. It’s expected because there are more vehicles, more people in the street as they went back to work,” Eleazar said.

Eleazar said the PNP got reports that hundreds of commuters were stranded along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City, while many others in the Marikina City- Rizal area walked for hours to get to work due to lack of public vehicles.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the Armed Forces deployed 48 buses and trucks to help the marooned commuters. Eight of the vehicles ferried passengers from Commonwealth to Edsa.

National Action Plan on COVID-19 chief implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. said buses from the Department of Transportation (DOTr) were also deployed in key areas in Metro Manila.

Galvez acknowledged the lack of transportation along Commonwealth Avenue but said the issue was resolved Monday afternoon. “We’re monitoring the situation and at present, it’s already normalized,” the official said.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) opened Edsa’s yellow lane for private vehicles to stop traffic build-up along the metropolis’ biggest thoroughfare, general manager Jojo Garcia said.

Garcia said private vehicles may use the rightmost lane of Edsa during the GCQ period of June 1 to 15, or while public buses are still not allowed ply their routes. Edsa’s yellow lane is normally reserved for public buses.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, a member of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), said the DOTr is making adjustments to solve the problem on lack of public transport vehicles.

The DOTr has initially allowed the operation of train facilities and P2P buses as part of its phase-by-phase strategy.

“There are still adjustments to be made until, if I’m not mistaken, June 21, there will be more public vehicles to be allowed,” he said, adding the government cannot immediately allow full operations of the public transport system as doing so may compromise the health of commuters.

The DOTr during the weekend announced that from June 1 to 21, only trains and bus augmentation, taxis and TNVS, shuttle services, bicycles and tricycle are allowed to operate. From June 22 to 30, public utility buses, modern public utility jeeps and UV Express will already be allowed to operate.

 GENERALLY PEACEFUL

Eleazar said the first day of GCQ in Metro Manila was generally peaceful. “So far, we have no problem, except the expected traffic congestion and more people in the street. It’s manageable. There was no untoward incident reported,” he said when asked to assess Metro Manila’s first day under GCQ.

He said people who went out generally followed quarantine protocols like wearing of face masks and observance of physical distancing.

Citing reports from the PNP Command Center, PNP spokesman Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac said the transition of Metro Manila and other areas to GCQ and others to modified GCQ “was generally peaceful and orderly.”

“Except for reports of stranded commuters due to inadequate public transportation, no other significant reports of major untoward incidents were recorded since the opening hours of June 1st,” said Banac.

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Banac said checkpoints, curfew hours, travel restrictions, strict enforcement of physical distancing, and minimum health standards will remain enforced in all areas under GCQ and MGCQ.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque reminded the public that while there was already an easing of restrictions under the GCQ and MGCQ categories, persons who belong to the vulnerable sector, including elders, those suffering from immunodeficiency, those who have co-morbidities and other health risks, pregnant women and those aged 20 and below should continue to just stay home.

Roque said no provincial buses are still allowed to operate.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año said employers should refrain from marking their employees who fail to report for duty due to lack of transportation.

In terms of domestic flights, National Task Force (NTF) on COVID-19 Carlito Galvez Jr. said the NTF and the DOTr will meet with local government officials who are opposed to the entry of outsiders or returning residents to their provinces for fear of opening local transmission of the infectious virus.

Roque that travel authority is no longer needed when travelling from different cities within Metro Manila or from different towns within the same provinces, but it shall be required when travelling from Metro Manila to a province or from province to province. — With Noel Talacay and Jocelyn Montemayor

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