Panelo rides a tricycle in Bacolod

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo on Friday rode on a tricycle in Bacolod City.

Panelo shared to Palace reporters photos of him inside the three-wheeled vehicle.

Asked why he decided to commute to his destination, Panelo said: “Walang private vehicle na makapasok. Nag-reroute ng traffic because of the MassKara Festival.”

The Palace official said he paid P10 for the ride.

Panelo earlier drew public criticism for denying the existence of a mass transport crisis in Metro Manila and advising commuters to leave early to get to their destinations on time.

On October 11, Panelo took on the challenge from activists for him to commute from his residence to Malacañang.

Panelo reached the Palace after nearly four hours but he said he went farther away to Marikina City before commuting back to Quezon City en route to Manila so he could evaluate the traffic and public transport situation.

He then thumbed down suggestions that he again go through the ordeal of commuting from his residence to Malacañang, saying it was already pointless to do so.

“I knew the traffic woes that the commuters and workers go through even before I accepted the challenge. Their creativity has managed to tide them vis-à-vis their daily ordeal,” Panelo said. — RSJ, GMA News