TRAFFIC-PRONE Traffic is expected to build up in the next few days in the vicinity of the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila, the venue for several tournaments in the Southeast Asian Games. —MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
MANILA, Philippine — Manage your expectations, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) advised the public on Tuesday amid concerns over worsening traffic as the country hosts the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.
MMDA traffic czar Bong Nebrija said that while a traffic management plan was drafted months ago with the help of the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc), they have yet to get the full schedule for every event in the SEA Games.
This was why the MMDA laid out just a general traffic plan based on the expected sports venues and routes to be taken by athletes.
Nebrija said the agency needed more details for an organized deployment of its traffic enforcers.
“We have been asking for the estimated time for each venue so we can secure the places better,” he added. “It’s coming in day by day, but it’s really hard to finalize … [I understand] that the MMDA might also be on a need-to-know basis only.”
Metro Manila’s soul-crushing congestion, normal to most residents, has resulted in minor inconveniences for some participants from other countries. For the Thai football contingent, it meant canceling their first day of training after heavy traffic delayed the players’ arrival in Manila.
However, Nebrija said that no amount of meticulous planning could factor in congestion, considering that the SEA Games were being held at the start of the holiday season, when traffic was usually worse. “The only variable here really is the traffic. That’s something we cannot control.”
“That’s why we’re advising the public to manage their expectations,” he said. “We’re doing the best we can but we cannot control congestion especially now that the public is in full holiday mode.”
The Phisgoc, MMDA and Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group are in charge of the traffic management plan for the ongoing SEA Games, with most of the sports events taking place in stadiums and arenas in the metropolis.
Among these are Rizal Memorial Stadium, Cuneta Astrodome, SM Mall of Asia, World Trade Center, SM Megamall and Muntinlupa Sports Complex. Adriatico and Pablo Ocampo Streets in Manila have been ordered closed from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11 for the SEA Games.