LEGAZPI CITY — Authorities had set up a “blue lane” along the national highway in Matnog town in Sorsogon province to decongest traffic for travelers bound for Visayas and Mindanao during Holy Week.
Salvador Mendoza, Sorsogon information officer, said it would be a temporary solution conceptualized by Sorsogon Gov. Edwin “Boboy” Hamor to address the long queue of vehicles entering the port of Matnog.
“During an investigation, the governor found out [that] congestion has something to [do] with [the implementation of the time of departure specified on the] certificate of public convenience (CPC) [distributed to motorists which] the shipping lines [fail to obey and] don’t depart on time,” Mendoza told the Inquirer in a chat message.
To avoid this cause of delay, Hamor ordered the concerned agencies to regularly check and advise the shipping lines to strictly follow the departure schedules on the CPCs of each motorist.
“Motorists were advised to get a queueing number as a pass for the blue lane and boarding,” Mendoza added.
The 5-kilometer blue lane begins in Barangay Hidhid, where provincial government employees were deployed in a station to give motorists their queueing numbers, and ends in Pawa village. The provincial government has spent P12 million for its creation and maintenance.
‘Perpetual’ problem
The blue lane became operational beginning October last year to serve motorists going home to their provinces during All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days and Christmas holidays.
During a regular day, the lane serves around 1,000 motorists and vehicles. This Holy Week, authorities were expecting 3,000 to 3,500 motorists daily.
Ernesto Perez, director of Anti Red-Tape Authority, said in an interview with reporters on March 31, that the traffic congestion at Matnog port had been a “perpetual” problem that needed to be addressed by concerned agencies.
“We had signed a Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) on Friday and this aims to address the congestion through the digitization of processes in and around the port of Matnog,” Perez said.
He said the Philippine Ports Authority would be the lead government agency to make sure that no single vehicle, bus, or transport goes to Matnog without an appointment through the queueing system and the use of the digital platform, particularly in the marshaling, queueing, loading, and embarkation of passengers and rolling cargoes.
“President Marcos Jr. is determined to offer a long and lasting solution to the problem by having a streamlined process and the use of the digital platform to eliminate fixers,” he said.
Perez also thanked Hamor for the building to be constructed to serve as a parking or holding area to ensure that no traffic and overcrowding of vehicles on the road will happen again.
MICHAEL B. JAUCIAN INQ
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