New infra, capital city can solve PH’s traffic woes—Santiago

Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago at the final presidential debate. SCREENGRAB FROM ABS-CBN

DAGUPAN CITY, Philippines—Not just new infrastructure, but also a new attitude.

These were what Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago pitched as the solution to the country’s perennial traffic woes, particularly in the bustling metropolis.

“We have to build a new railway system connecting Manila to other surrounding provinces like Bulacan, Cavite, and Laguna. We need an entirely new railway system connecting Manila to Sorsogon,” Santiago said during the third and last presidential debate at the PHINMA-University of Pangasinan in this city.

Santiago, who had just returned to the campaign trail after undergoing a clinical trial for a new anti-cancer pill, also proposed the creation of a new “modern airport,” noting that the Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s name had been tarnished as one of the worst in the world.

The feisty senator also reiterated her previous suggestion in her opening statement to create a new capital city outside the National Capital Region, particularly in Clark, Pampanga, where a “new government center” and a new “educational center” will be established.

Santiago also highlighted the importance of a change in attitude especially among drivers and commuters.

READ: Santiago goes after jeepney drivers, riders

“There are ways of solving the traffic problem and there is no need to despair,” she said, adding that funding should not be a problem if “we build infrastructure, our manufacturing is robust, and our agriculture is modern.”

Metro Manila has earned the dubious distinction of having one of the worst traffic situations in the world based on navigation application Waze’s Global Driver Satisfaction Index. IDL