INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / EDWIN BACASMAS
MANILA, Philippines – President Benigno Aquino III on Monday personally said sorry for the monster traffic that kept many motorists and passengers stranded for several hours last Friday.
“We ask for forgiveness from the public,” Aquino said on the sidelines of the Mindanao Inclusive Agribusiness Program launch at Davao City.
Aquino also said that once he returns to Manila in the afternoon, he hopes to be briefed about and “personally see” what happened.
“And I don’t want to rely on the reports anymore. I want to see the videos that were captured by the CCTV to determine exactly where (the gridlock was),” he said.
He acknowledged that traffic problems have an impact on the growth of the economy.
“We don’t want to exacerbate problems like increasing prices for food because of the difficulty in the transport[ation],” he said.
Aquino explained that what matters now is to understand the problem of congestion at the port of Manila, which has resulted in heavy traffic.
He acknowledged the need to decongest the ports, which in turn resulted in more trucks going to and leaving the ports, to anticipate incoming cargo, especially since the Christmas season has started.
“Shipments even of government, for instance, M4 rifles of the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) were held up in Singapore because of this congestion,” he said.
In the middle of the interview, an exasperated Aquino said the problem at the ports was extensive.
He said some importers look at the ports as a “cheaper warehousing facility.”
This is why the government will soon be implementing a five-day deadline for cargo containers that are cleared for transfer.
Aquino said some containers that have been overstaying at the port would be transferred to Subic, while the empty containers will also be dealt with.
“Everything and anything that has been thought of that can be—that can address these congestion problems is being done,” he said.
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