Expectation vs Reality: Malacañang releases docu telling people that commuting is now better

As part of the snappily named Laging Handa Dokyu 2.0 series of videos, the even more snappily named Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) — Office of the Global Media and Public Affairs has released “Commute,” a thirty-minute film that shows off the administration’s gains in public transport.

The film describes the changes in transportation policy over the past year that have supposedly improved the lives of commuters, drivers, and everyone else in the transportation industry. The gains touted in the video include everything from ayuda assistance packages for jeepney drivers to the improved EDSA bus carousel system and the COVID-19 safety protocols implemented in the MRT lines.

The timing of the government’s promo reel is a little unfortunate, however. Over the weekend, videos of commuters in the EDSA transport hubs went viral, showing thick crowds on Friday evening at the Ortigas station, in violation of social distancing rules.

To be fair, the overcrowding in bus terminals seems to be a rare incident, though transport officials were unable to pin down the cause of the incident last Friday.

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