Gomez on deleted post: It’s about traffic management

Metro Manila, Philippines – Actor-turned-lawmaker Richard Gomez said his now-deleted post gone viral - about opening the EDSA bus lane in times of heavy traffic - was about easing road congestion during peak hours.

In a text message to NewsWatch Plus, the Leyte 4th district representative said he finds it “silly” that the lane is not utilized when needed.

The EDSA bus carousel was carried out at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in June 2020 amid tight restrictions resulting in fewer vehicles on the road. It was to put order on buses going in and out of their designated lanes, and make the trip more accessible and faster for commuters.

Gomez said his post was his “opinion” and “complaint” at the moment.

“My sentiment was the very bad traffic. My destination from our house as what Google Maps said was only 5.2 kilometers away. But it took me almost 3 hours to get there,” he said.

Gomez said the EDSA traffic is all about management.

“Take a look at the skyway—why is it at certain times of the day or depending on the volume of traffic they use the other side of the road for Counterflow Traffic? This is to alleviate the load of traffic congestion,” he said.

Besides commuter buses, the exclusive lane is also open for authorized buses, ambulances and firetrucks, responding law enforcement cars, and vehicles of top 5 government officials (president, vice president, Senate president, House speaker, and chief justice.)

NewsWatch Plus sought out the Department of Transportation (DOTr) but the agency said it refused to comment for now.

Netizens: Take the bus

A number of netizens have slammed Gomez on his post.

For environmental advocate and former senatorial candidate David D’ Angelo, the post “shows the insensitivity of people in power to the plight of commuters.”

“Traffic po kasi andami ninyo na private vehicles. If maganda at mas efficient ang mass transportation system sana kokonti na lang ang (mga) sasakyan,” he said on Facebook.

[Translation: It’s traffic because there are a lot of private vehicles. If our mass transportation system is more efficient, there would be fewer vehicles.]

Some have also challenged the lawmaker to take the bus on EDSA.

“What if magpropose kayo ng bill na hindi pahirap sa mga commuters?,” a user in X posted.

(Translation: What if you propose a bill that would not be burdensome for commuters)

Gomez said “people are quick to criticize.”

“That’s the easiest thing to do nowadays. Let the MMDA, DPWH, or the National Center for Transportation Studies in UP work on the problem of transportation traffic,” he said.