“Mass transportation should be in government hands”
THERE is no question the public like and admire decisive leaders willing to make difficult and hard decisions if need be.
DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon seems to be exhibiting those traits because even before warming his seat, he made three important decisions.
One: the privatization of public urban mass transportation is the way to go and therefore will be pursued and the exclusive bus way system will not be abolished but expanded.
We do not know whether he has looked into these two issues thoroughly with the help of some technical people or was simply the result of his own observations and experiences while navigating the daily traffic gridlock over the years.
Next: he asked almost all the senior officials in the DOTr to tender their resignations and brought in recycled individuals from the past administration.
These decisions no matter how they were arrived at gives us a bird’s eye view of what to expect from him during his stewardship as DOTr Secretary.
I would have preferred he waited a little longer before making those decisions but he did not. We must therefore assume that even before his appointment, he already had some opinions on the issues at hand and must therefore believe he knows exactly what he is doing.
Last Monday, he also added the bus lane will continue while the EDSA rehabilitation is going on.
He did not say whether the bus lane will continue to be exclusive or will be jointly used by all vehicles.
This is important because if it will remain exclusive, the lanes available to other vehicles will further be severely restricted and traffic along EDSA is certain to slow down some more.
It would be better if he will just let the MMDA and DPWH handle this issue since both agencies have the personnel to implement any decision made. Right now, there are conflicting instructions from the DOTr and DPWH.
Another reason why he should have waited till after a comprehensive briefing is because he might not have the authority to override MMDA on matters pertaining to traffic management in Metro Manila.
We don’t know the kind of internal arrangements the current administration has with regard to traffic management in the NCR, but as far as laws are concerned, the MMDA has the mandate to manage traffic and not the DOTr.
This is why I suggested in my piece about three weeks ago that the two agencies should sit down and talk.
RA7924 of March 1, 1995 gives the MMDA the power to make rules and regulations for traffic management in Metro Manila.
This was reinforced by a Supreme Court decision penned by Associate Justice Alfredo Caguioa, citing section 5(e) of the MMDA Law.
But the way the media makes it appear and the manner Secretary Dizon is talking, the DOTr Secretary can override any decision by the MMDA Chairman on traffic management matters.
Unless there is clearance from the Palace or prior agreement between the two agencies, this cannot be done unless the Chairman of MMDA is voluntarily surrendering his mandate to the DOTr.
Dizon may seem to have all but made up his mind on the issue of privatization.
But I wish he should at the very least do an in-depth study on the matter of urban mass transportation.
Mass transportation in almost all major cities around the world are run by governments.
It is one of the few activities wherein free market oriented countries have laid their hands off and for good reason.
First is public transportation must be cheap or even free like in a growing number of cities in Europe that provide free bus and train rides.
He may also believe public transportation in private hands is more efficient which may be partly true but there is a stiff price—it is expensive which should not be.
Besides, there are certain services that governments must provide even if it means the operation is not so profitable.
Taxi and other services like Grab can be private but mass transportation should be in government hands.
