No mass transport crisis, Palace asserts

DESPITE THE worsening road congestion and commuter problems in Metro Manila, Malacañang on Tuesday said there is no mass transportation crisis yet. “Ang nakikita ko lang traffic, hindi ‘yung (What I see is traffic, not a) [mass] transportation [crisis]. May transportation naman, nakakasakay naman tayong lahat (There is transportation, we are all able to find a ride),” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo said at a briefing in Malacañang when asked to comment on claims that there is mass transportation crisis in the capital. He said the train systems no longer suffer from regular glitches. He also advised commuters that “if they want to arrive early in their destinations, they have to go earlier.” According to the latest Numbeo Quality-of-life-index, published in Deutsche Bank’s annual “Mapping the world’s prices” report, Manila is ranked 54^th out of 56 countries in terms of quality of life. The ranking is based on traffic congestion and commute times, purchasing power, regional crime and safety, overall quality of health care, general cost of consumer goods, and housing affordability, among others. — Arjay L. Balinbin