Better mass transpo system underscored to ease Metro traffic

File photo shows heavy vehicular traffic along EDSA in Pasay City. (INQUIRER / RICHARD A. REYES)

MANILA, Philippines — The  government should focus on improving and expanding the country’s mass transportation system amid an appeal for the declaration of a state of calamity in Metro Manila due to traffic congestion,  Senator Grace Poe said on Monday.

Poe’s remarks came after the Management Association of the Philippines appealed to the government to declare a “state of calamity” in Metro Manila in view of its worsening traffic congestion.

In a statement on Monday, Poe acknowledged the whopping losses attributed to traffic congestion in Metro Manila alone, emphasizing that it is a prevalent problem that needs to be addressed.

“They don’t need to declare a state of traffic calamity. We feel it every single day. [The] government should listen and employ the help of experts from all sectors” Poe said in a statement.

“Economic losses at P3.5 billion a day are attributed to traffic congestion in Metro Manila. Clearly this is a crisis that needs to be addressed. Adding more roads is not the only solution. Mass transit should be improved and expanded,” she noted.

Poe, chairperson of the Senate’s panel on public services, explained that public electric vehicles are now being utilized in other countries and if the Philippines manages to do the same, the country’s “air quality can certainly be improved.”

She, however, emphasized that this initiative should come with an elaborate plan on how the government can subsidize the program, noting that “it will not progress” otherwise.

‘Work From Home Law’

Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva echoed Poe’s sentiment, noting that the Philippine government must finally have  a “concrete plan on how to solve  [the] worsening traffic situation in the country.”

Citing a study in Japan, Villanueva said the Philippines’ economic losses due to traffic may increase to P6 billion per day in 2030 due to traffic congestion.

This prompted Villanueva to emphasize why he specifically pushed for the passage of Republic Act No. 11165, otherwise known as the Work From Home Law, in the 17th Congress.

“Companies and employees should be allowed to arrange for flexible work arrangements instead of having employees report physically in the office every day and losing working hours due to traffic,” he said.