Pasig City residents are reminded anew with the guidelines on transportation around the city as Metro Manila shifts to general community quarantine (GCQ) on Monday (June 1).

Sotto reminded his constituents that shifting to GCQ does not change any of the implemented precautionary measures of the local government against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

“Similar pa rin po yung MECQ at GCQ, ngayon ang naging pagkakaiba lang mas marami po ang pinapayagang establisyimento at negosyo na magbalik operation (The guidelines on MEQC and GCQ are similar, the only difference is that more commercial establishments and businesses are allowed to resume operations),” Sotto said in a Facebook live stream on Sunday afternoon.

Sotto said private vehicles, tricycles, taxis, shuttle services, motorcycles, and bikes are allowed in Pasig.

However, allowing motorcycle back rides, he said, is still up for the approval of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases.

“Kung sabihin naman po nila (IATF), okay na. Mag-iisue po ng special ID ang Pasig, gagawin po natin iyan kung nakuha na natin ang approval nila (if ever the IATF already allows it, if it’s okay. Pasig will issue a special ID on that, we will only do that if we already get the national government’s approval),” he said.

He noted the Pasig local government has already sent a letter to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to clarify rules for allowing motorcycle back rides during the GCQ implementation.

“Sa ngayon bawal pa po ang backride. Pasenysa na po. Kapag pumayag na ang DILG at ang nasyunal na pamahalaan, papayagan naman po natin yan dito sa Pasig (for now, the back ride is not yet allowed. Once the DILG and the national government granted it, then we will allow it here in Pasig),” he said.’

Allowing transport operations for jeepneys are also still pending, he said.

Shuttle services for employees

Meanwhile, Sotto urged employers of companies and business establishments in Pasig to secure their employees’ shuttle services for work.

“Kailangan niyo pong siguraduhin na yung mga emplayado ninyo ay may masasakyan papuntang trabaho. Huwag niyo po silang hayaan na ‘bahala kayo sa buhay ninyo basta eto magrabaho kayo.’ Hindi po, kailangan po mag provide kayo (you need to secure transportations for employees going to work. Don’t disregard their needs for transportation. You have to provide for them),” he said.

Sotto also urged the employees to use the free shuttle services provided by the local government.

“Kung may available naman na transportation, halimbawa yung mga libreng sakay sa Pasig, kung may available naman dun sa place of work hanggang sa bahay and vice versa, eh di okey na po yun (If there are available transport services such as Pasig’s free shuttle, if it is available near the workplace to your homes and vice versa, much better),” he added, noting that employers must provide shuttle services to ferry their employees going to work and departing for home.

“Huwag ninyong hayaan na yung mga empleyado ninyo walang masasakyan o maglalakad ng ilang kilometro ang layo. Bigyan niyo po sila ng transportasyon (don’t let your employees go to work without transport services or to walk for how many kilometers. Provide transportations to them),” he said.

Sotto said the shuttle services could only be allowed to operate at 50-percent capacity.

Promoting bike riding

Sotto encouraged residents to consider biking as an alternative mode of transportation and as part of the “new normal” in commuting going to workplaces.

“Ngayong quarantine, napatunayan natin na ang bike riding pwede dito sa Pilipinas kahit mainit (this quarantine, we have proven that bike riding is possible here in the Philippines even if it’s hot),” he said, noting that bicycle riding is “a good social distancing method”.

Bicycle riding will not only help decongest traffic in the city, he said, but could also help prevent community transmission of Covid-19.

“Sana hanggang matapos yung quarantine ipagpatuloy nila ‘yung habit ng pag-bike to and from work. Kasama na ‘to sa new normal natin (Hopefully until the quarantine is over, they will continue their habit of biking to and from work. This is now part of our new normal),” he said.

The local government, he said, has also provided front-liners with bicycles that they could use to get to their workplaces during the quarantine period.

Sotto reminded the residents that only those with essential travels are allowed to go out of their homes. (PNA)