MANILA — Officials of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) are now required to commute to work at least once a week starting this week.

The directive follows President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s order to immediately address the difficulties faced by commuters and provide faster and more convenient travel.

In a memorandum issued Monday, Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez instructed officials from the road and rail sectors to regularly take public transportation to better understand the daily challenges of commuters.

“Itong mga opisyal natin sa Road at Rail sector, sila talaga ‘yung mga dapat lumalabas lagi kasi karamihan ng ating mga proyekto ay nasa mga sektor na ito,” Lopez said.

“‘Yung mga ibang opisyal naman sa ibang sectors, hinihikayat din nating mag-commute dahil ito lang talaga yung paraan para makita at madama first hand kung ano ba ang hirap na nararanasan ng mga commuters,” he added.

Lopez also directed officials to submit reports after commuting, with corresponding recommendations and action plans on how to improve public transportation.

The acting secretary himself took public transport to the DOTr office during Monday’s rush hour, meeting commuters firsthand to witness the difficulties they encounter daily.