MANILA, Philippines- Airing his opposition to the resolution banning provincial buses and the eventual shutdown of its terminals along EDSA, Albay Rep. Joey Salceda said Pokemon Go players pose a “bigger threat” to Metro Manila traffic.
The lawmaker from Bicol stressed that Pokemon Go players inside private cars cause more problems to the worsening traffic in Metro Manila compared to provincial buses. According to Salceda, the hit app, which took the world by storm, encourages players to hunt for virtual creatures causing traffic jams when they ask their drivers to stop the car in order to catch Pokemon creatures.
PHOTO CREDIT: ABS-CBN News
He also pointed out that some players stop at “lures” to catch rare Pokemon characters.
“Pokemon-playing in private cars pose more threat of aggravation to Metro Manila than provincial buses,” Salceda said.
“If you are rich enough to maintain a private car, you must be rich enough to yourself and your kids an Android, iPad or iPhone. Multiply that by the 2.5 million cars in Metro Manila,” he added.
Salceda’s statement came following the decision of Metro Manila Council (MMC) to ban provincial buses from EDSA to decongest the major thoroughfares. MMC, which is composed of city mayors and government transport officials, said their decision was in compliance with President Rodrigo Duterte’s order to relocate terminals away from city centres to ease traffic problems in the metro.
Calling the move anti-poor, Salceda said: “The measure is injurious to poor rural people in terms of: (1) additional inconvenience; (2) additional ‘minimum’ fare; (3) additional time of destination; and (4) double loading.”
Parks and Malls in PH Filled with Pokemon Hunters
Major shopping malls in the metro have seemingly turned into huge playgrounds for Pokemon hunters in the Philippines, reports GMA News.
Several mall operators have reported rise in foot traffic from players of the GPS-based augmented reality mobile game. To attract more players as well as shoppers, several malls are hosting a series of “lure parties”.