Even before the pandemic, transportation has always been a controversial people’s issue as it closely affects the productivity of residents not just in Metro Manila, but also in surrounding areas.
However, the coronavirus pandemic arguably further exposed and worsened problems concerning commuter woes, jeepney modernization, and the indescribable hassle of city traffic.
With a proposed budget of P143-billion for 2021, new issues of initially overpriced Beep cards, reduced distancing in public transport, and the lack of public transportation under quarantine surfaced on top of the unsolved problems of pre-pandemic transportation.
Aside from transportation issues, issues about public spaces have also sprung up during the pandemic. Experts highlighted the need for public spaces in urban communities, especially when social distancing can mean life or death.
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MovePH, Rappler’s civic engagement arm, and the Institute of Leadership, Empowerment and Democracy (iLEAD) teamed up to organize #BudgetWatch, a webinar series aiming to engage the public in demanding lawmakers craft a budget that fully supports the fight against the negative impact of the pandemic on the country.
Co-hosted by the Move As One Coalition, the fourth episode of the #BudgetWatch webinar, which will happen on October 16 at 1 pm, will tackle the government’s plans in funding the transportation and mobility of the country.
Luis Razon Abad, iLEAD’s board chairman, will provide the organization’s analysis of the transportation budget.
We are going to be joined by Josua Mata, the co-convenor of the labor coalition Nagkaisa and Robert Siy, a sustainable mobility advocate and a former Department of Transportation adviser, and Architect Paulo Alcazaren, an urban planner and principal of PGAA Creative Design, in our roundtable discussion.
Rappler’s Aika Rey will moderate the discussion. You may secure your slot in the webinar by signing up here.
Inputs from this webinar will be consolidated into concrete budget items and action plans that iLEAD will submit to concerned legislators before the budget season ends this year. – Rappler.com
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![[OPINION] Cities and public spaces should be for people first](https://www.rappler.com/tachyon/2024/04/imho-people-first-city-04132024.jpg?resize=257%2C257&crop_strategy=attention)
