Senator Grace Poe on Thursday called on the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to hastily repair the persons with disabilities (PWD) ramp at the EDSA-Philam busway station, which was deemed unsafe for one of the sectors it is meant to serve.
“The PWD ramp must be immediately fixed before an accident occurs,” Poe said.
The senator lamented the lack of PWD-friendly facilities across Metro Manila. She criticized the MMDA for approving the construction of the ramp, which was “too steep” based on the assessment of people who experienced passing through it.
The ramp connects individuals from the elevator to the footbridge, but it was reported too dangerous for wheelchair users.
Poe said she felt exasperated to see millions in taxpayers’ money spent on badly designed and constructed projects like this that endangers people instead of making them feel safe.
She pointed out government agencies must do things right in using public funds.
“Otherwise, we are only wasting money and not serving the sectors who need help,” said Poe.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) late Wednesday, the MMDA explained that they complied with the height restriction of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT), which made it impossible to level the elevator with the footbridge.
“This is not perfectly designed for wheelchair users, but it still greatly benefits senior citizens, pregnant women, and other PWDs instead of using the stairs,” the agency said in Tagalog.
The MMDA vowed to assign personnel in the area to assist PWDs, who are having a hard time accessing the ramp. It insisted that the ramp is “not that steep” compared to what the viral photo was trying to project.
“The ramp was placed because of the limited space and without this, the elevator would not be established in the structure for the convenience of commuters who take the bus in the busway station,” the MMDA said.
