MANILA -- The Department of Transportation (DOTr) will meet with the labor department as well as representatives from workers and employers’ groups on Friday to discuss mitigating measures once the EDSA rebuild begins.

“Maganda rin po is magkakaroon din po kami ng consultation na in-organized ni Secretary Benny Laguesma ng Department of Labor...we will be working with the workers group at employers groups,” Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said in a Palace press briefing. 

He rejected labor group Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa's (Sentro) remark that workers who would be affected by the government plan were an “afterthought”.

“Ako, I will disagree na afterthought. In fact, on the part of DOTr, iyong dalawang major interventions na inutos ng Pangulo, are for the workers, kasi ang workers natin, sila din ang mga commuters natin,” Dizon added. 

The transportation chief took note of the government interventions to improve public transportation.

“Ang unang-una nating prinopose, unang-una iyong pagdagdag ng mga bus sa busway, malaking bagay po iyon. Nagdagdag na po tayo ng 50 bus last month, magdagdag pa tayo in the coming weeks ng mahigit 100 pang bus, iyon po para sa workers talaga iyan,” he said.

“Iyong proposal din po natin na pinipilit natin ngayon na magdagdag ng tren at hopefully makapag-extend pa tayo ng kahit kaunti ng hours sa umaga para din po sa workers iyan,” the official added.

Odd-even scheme, free Skyway toll among interventions during EDSA rebuild

Dizon noted that he would propose to the labor department to organize an “emergency summit” where all stakeholders could meet and discuss EDSA rebuild measures.

Business, supply chain groups worried about impact of EDSA road works