By ARGYLL CYRUS B. GEDUCOS
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque’s attempt to share the plight of the riding public by taking the Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT3) and Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT1) was not received very well by the netizens who watched his journey broadcast over his office’s Facebook page.
Roque was supposed to be joined by Department of Transportation (DOTr) Undersecretary for Railways Cesar Chavez, but news of his irrevocable resignation surfaced minutes before their train ride.
Roque announced that he would ride the two trains Wednesday and report to the President about his trip.
He took the MRT from the Northbound Station in Quezon City around 9 a.m. to Taft Avenue in Pasay City. He then rode the LRT line 1 from EDSA station to Central Station in Manila.
Roque, who lined up and bought his own ticket, said he chose not to ride during the rush hour as it would inconvenience the riding public.
“Ayaw po nating mapeste ang mga mananakay,” he said.
However during his LRT ride, security personnel of the LRT did not allow other passengers to ride the carriage where Duterte’s mouthpiece was in.
Roque also engaged some commuters in a conversation, asking them for understanding for any inconvenience his train ride may have caused.
However, the train ride was not received well by netizens as they claimed that Roque is now preparing for the midterm elections, accusing him of being a hypocrite for his media publicity.
Roque was one of the names announced by House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez last week who will run under the senatorial slate of PDP-Laban.
Netizens, who commented over the live video posted over the Office of the Presidential Spokesperson Facebook page, also questioned Roque’s intention for riding the trains.
However, some netizens, who are supporters of President Duterte, chose to give Roque the benefit of the doubt, defending him from the downpour of “angry reactions” that floated over his Facebook live video.
Netizens who defended Roque praised him for trying to empathize with the riding public who have to endure long lines, congestion, and occasional train breakdown.
When asked for comment on Chavez’s resignation, Roque said he cannot make a statement yet on Chavez’s resignation as the Palace has not yet officially received word of it, even if Chavez announced it already.
“I’m sorry. I can’t comment on something that I’ve not confirmed. Unless it’s official, I can’t comment,” Roque said during yesterday’s Palace press briefing.
“But we’ll wait for the resignation and we will have a reaction in due course,” he added.
In his resignation letter addressed to President Duterte, Chavez cited the recent MRT woes as his reason for stepping down from office.
“I hope the President understands that in light of recent events involving the MRT3 System, simple sense of delicadeza which I have adhered to throughout my professional life gives me no choice but to resign,” Chavez said in his letter, a copy of which was provided to the press by Chavez himself.
Duterte appointed Chavez to the position last March, 2017, replacing Noel Kintanar who resigned from the position last November.