Rizal 2nd District Rep. Fidel Nograles is calling on his colleagues at the House of Representatives to pass at the soonest time possible, a bill that seeks to improve public transportation across the country.
Nograles said the Magna Carta of Commuters aims to address the inequality that has arisen from decades of failure to implement proper connectivity in the country.
“Nananawagan tayo sa ating mga katrabaho. New year, new decade, now’s a better time than ever to resolve the daily nightmare of our commuters,” he said.
The bill aims to enumerate and uphold the rights of the commuting public. These rights would range from public transportation services to safe and accessible infrastructure to clean air during travel and to commuter representation and participation.
The measure’s ultimate goal is to ensure ease of movement.
The Magna Carta also calls for a shift from a car-centric public policy and infrastructure to a sustainable transport and mobility policy that provides safe access and mobility to all, promotes economic development while simultaneously preserving the environment and uplifts the Filipino commuter.
“This measure aims to set our priorities straight on how spaces are used—users of public transportation, since they comprise the largest number, should be given priority in the use of our roads,” said the lawmaker.
Nograles added that addressing the perennial traffic woes of the country, particularly in urban areas, demands looking at root causes such as land use policy and correcting the proportion of private and public transportation.
“In a sense, the Magna Carta of Commuters would force policy makers and implementers to view the issue of mobility as a system of inter-related issues that requires a holistic, multi-stakeholder approach,” said the Harvard-trained lawyer.
The measure’s ultimate goal is to ensure ease of movement and to make commuting dignified, Nograles said.
“Aayusin natin para ang Pinoy commuter, hindi hulas, hindi inis, hindi nakakaltasan ng sahod dahil nale-late sa trabaho.”