MMDA sees 50% decline in traffic volume on Holy Week 2019

MANILA, Philippines — Motorists can enjoy a temporary break from heavy traffic across Metro Manila as the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) projects a 50 percent decline in traffic volume this Holy Week.

“Ang projection po natin based on the traffic volume na narereduce dito sa Metro Manila, during this kind of holidays is more than 50 percent,” MMDA Edsa Traffic Head Bong Nebrija said Sunday during a news forum.

“So, ‘yung sa kotse at sa movement ng tao, marami pong umaalis for vacation kasi hindi po natin masisi na summer, bakasyon ‘yung mga bata, apat na araw na walang pasok, yung iba nag-eextend pa,” he added.

Besides going home to provinces or taking a vacation, Nebrija said that many of the public would be observing “Visita Iglesia” or the tradition of visiting nine Churches.

With this, the MMDA will also put up “road emergency stations” along Quiapo and Ortigas to assist the motorists who are observing the said tradition, Nebrija said.

He added that the agency has started to clean up the backdoors of various terminals in the metro ahead of the Holy Week.

“As early as now, naglinis na tayo ng mg backdoors ng mga terminals kasi ang Semana Santa is also the exodus period ng ating mga kababayan kung saan marami po ang umuuwi,” he said. /je