MANILA — The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) announced on Saturday that it will temporarily close the wheelchair ramp at the EDSA-Philam station in Quezon City for improvements following widespread criticism.
At a media forum in Quezon City, MMDA Acting Chairman Romando Artes said a wheelchair lift will be installed, and the ramp’s incline will be adjusted to address concerns about its steepness for wheelchair users.
“Sa amin po kasing observation, wala halos gumagamit ng bus carousel na naka-wheelchair. Buti na lang na-criticize din po kami kaya napag-isipan naman po kung paano ia-address ‘yong issue,” Artes told reporters.
(From our observation, not very many people in wheelchairs use the bus carousel. But it is good that we were criticized so we were prompted to think about how to address the issue.)
Work on the ramp and the installation of the lift began on Saturday morning. According to Artes, the improvements are expected to take one to two months.
“In the meantime isasara po muna namin habang ginagawa. Maghahagdan muna po ang ating mga kababayan,” he said.
(We will close access to that while we fix it. So, people will have to use the stairs for now.)
Artes also mentioned that the government will not incur additional expenses for the improvements as the contractor has agreed to cover the costs.
Despite criticisms, Artes insisted that the ramp is not excessively steep, noting that photos on Facebook exaggerated its steepness.
“’Yong anggulo na nag-viral sa Facebook, mukha siyang slide. Pero kung titingnan niyo po sa other angle niya, hindi naman po siya ganon katarik,” Artes said.
(The angle in the photos on Facebook make it look like a slide. But if you look at it from other angles, it is not that steep.)
MMDA recently acknowledged in a statement that the ramp connecting the elevator and the footbridge was “imperfectly designed” due to a height restriction imposed by the Metro Rail Transit.
“Ito po ay inilagay pa rin namin despite that dahil po marami pa rin naman pong PWDs ang puwedeng gumamit, gaya ng buntis, medyo pilay lang ng kaunti, senior citizen. Marami pa rin pong makikinabang dito,” Artes said.
(We put that there despite that because many can still use it, like pregnant women, those with only slight disabilities, senior citizens. There are many who can still benefit from this.)