House transpo panel chair suggests dry run for public transport in post-ECQ ‘new normal’

By JOHN CARLO M. CAHINHINAN

House committee on transportation chair Edgar Sarmiento reminded the Transpiration Sec. Arthur Tugade to make sure his agency is well-prepared to implement guidelines on the so-called “new normal” in the country’s public transport once the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) is lifted.

According to Sarmiento, utilizing the remaining days of ECQ in Metro Manila for a possible dry run will help the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) to evaluate the peculiar requirement of physical distancing and still allow adjustments since “the volume of passengers are still manageable.”

“We should do the dry run when the volume of passengers is still manageable and make all the necessary adjustments before we transition to GCQ (general community quarantine),” said Sarmiento.

Sarmiento stressed that to avoid any disastrous mistake, he is recommending to the DOTr a five-day dry run before the anticipated lifting of the ECQ on May 16—to cover IATF-sanctioned public transports systems for land transport, airplanes and inter-island passenger vessels.

He added the dry-run is also important to test the condition of all the vehicles, trains, aircrafts and vessels that will be allowed to operate under the GCQ.

“Mahirap yung basta na lamang bubulaga sa atin ang mga problema dahil hindi na naman natin napag-aralan ng maayos kung paano natin ayusin ang sistema,” Sarmiento stressed.

“Bago mag-GCQ, mas maigi kung wala na tayong mga lalabas na problema o kung meron man ay hindi na makakapagpalala sa ating problema tungkol sa dumaraming kaso ng COVID-19,” the lawmaker added.

Sarmiento frowned on the use of “new normal” to described humanity’s present and future lifestyle amid the corona virus pandemic as he noted that prevailing situation is “absolutely abnormal.”

“This virus will not prevail over humanity and life as we know it would definitely go back to full normalcy once a vaccine is discovered. The more appropriate term should be temporary abnormality,” he said.

Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)