MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 11, 2014) – A group calling itself TREN or Train Riders’ Network has called on government officials, including members of the Aquino cabinet, to take the daily commute from their homes to their offices on public transport.
The group, an alliance of employees, students, and other commuters who demand that the government improve the quality of train and railway services, said unlike members of President’s cabinet who are known for their “inefficiency” and are not penalized for being late for work, the ordinary student and employee continue to suffer due to the incompetence of the administrators of the Metro Rail System and the Department of Transportation and Communication.
“Students earn undeserving absences in some of their classes, while employees are hit with salary deductions or even threats of being laid-off. We reiterate – the public has a right to a quick, efficient, and affordable means of public transportation,” TREN said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.
It also took a swipe on government spokesman Herminio Coloma who told public commuters to find an alternative mode of transport instead of queuing on long lines at railway stations around metropolitan Manila.
Coloma has already apologized for his statement after various groups, including TREN, criticized him.
“Coloma’s statement is tantamount to a declaration that the government is abandoning its duty and obligation to the commuter public,” TREN said.
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