That’s a hell of a traffic jam. Frankly, this is a troubling sight given the circumstances. But let’s be honest: Did we really expect anything different when authorities announced Metro Manila would be shifting to general community quarantine (GCQ) today?
EDSA once again morphed into a packed maze of vehicles on the morning of June 1st, the first day of GCQ in the National Capital Region (NCR). At first glance, some of these images suggest there’s organized chaos to this slow-moving slog of transportation, but look closer and the cracks in the system—meaning the bus augmentation service set up by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA)—begin to show.
There are reports online of bus commuters waiting for rides that will never come, and some people walking for kilometers in search of rides. Is this due to poor dissemination of information, or perhaps confusion surrounding the bus augmentation’s implementation? Or are there simply not enough rides to go around at the moment? These images don’t tell the whole story, but if these reports are true, something has to be done. Look:
Again, it’s only day one of GCQ so there’s plenty of room for improvement. Still, this morning clearly is not a good look for the situation in Metro Manila. Begs the question: Was the NCR really ready to shift into GCQ? Let us know what you think in the comments.
For more of our stories on the ongoing crisis, click here. For the latest news and updates on COVID-19, check out reportr.world/covid-19.
