FILE PHOTO: Sen. Grace Poe. (Bibo Nueva Espa帽a/Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Sen. Grace Poe added to the cry of public disappointment over the now-viral ramp at the PhilAm station of the Edsa Busway in Quezon City.
The ramp is meant to cater to persons with disabilities (PWDs), but it has come under fire after wheelchair users found it too steep for efficient use.
鈥淚nstead of being helpful for our PWDs boarding the bus, this ramp by MMDA in the Edsa Busway would even cause accidents,鈥� Poe, who used to head the Senate鈥檚 panel on public services, said in Filipino a statement Thursday.
READ: MMDA chief defends ramp design at Edsa busway station: It鈥檚 not wrong
According to the senator, the country鈥檚 lack of PWD-friendly facilities should not be used as an excuse to build haphazard projects for people with disabilities or special needs.
鈥淭he ramp must be immediately fixed before an accident occurs. It鈥檚 exasperating to see millions in taxpayers鈥� money spent on projects like this that endanger safety and life,鈥� Poe said.
She said government agencies must utilize public funds in the right manner. If not, it is only wasting the hard-earned taxpayers鈥� money.
In a separate statement issued Thursday, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) justified the controversial ramp, saying it follows a specific 鈥渉eight restriction.鈥�
鈥淲e would like to inform the public that MRT has a specific height restriction and it was followed by MMDA. That鈥檚 why it was impossible to level the elevator to the footbridge,鈥� the MMDA said in Filipino.
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The MMDA likewise noted that the ramp is, in fact, 鈥渘ot too steep to walk into.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 not a perfect design, especially for those in wheelchairs, but it鈥檚 still a big help for senior citizens, pregnant women, and other PWDs instead of using the stairs,鈥� it said.
鈥淭he ramp was installed due to limited space and without it, the elevator could not be installed in the structure for the convenience of commuters boarding the busway station.鈥�
To address complaints, MMDA said it would deploy personnel to assist PWDs if they would ever need help using the ramp