Day one of the ‘no vaccination, no ride’ policy in Metro Manila went pretty smoothly—at least according to the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) initial assessment of its implementation.
In a statement, the agency described the measure’s first day as “generally peaceful,” saying that the majority of commuters taking public transportation complied with authorities’ requests for them to show proof of vaccination before boarding.
“According to reports from our men on the ground, most of the passengers were prepared for the policy. They voluntarily handed over their vaccination cards to our enforcers for thorough inspection and verification before boarding public utility vehicles,” DOTr secretary Arthur Tugade shared.
The official added that, since this was only day one of the measure’s enforcement, personnel were instructed to issue warnings to violators instead of resorting to apprehension. Violators, though, would later be turned over to their respective local government units.
Meanwhile, at Metro Manila railway stations, a total of 1,749 commuters tried to board trains without proof of vaccination on hand. DOTr undersecretary for railways TJ Batan shared a breakdown of these violations, with the MRT-3, LRT-2, and LRT-1 accounting for 1,204, 136, and 401 of the total, respectively.
Under the no vaccination, no ride policy, individuals who have yet to receive their full series of COVID-19 shots are barred from traveling within Metro Manila via land, air, or sea as long as the capital is under Alert Level 3. You can read more about the measure here.
So, do you agree with the DOTr’s assessment? Let us know what your commute yesterday was like in the comments.
