Lack of infrastructure also to blame for traffic jams, says Poe

Sen. Grace Poe blamed the lack of infrastructure for the traffic woes that plague commuters and motorists in Metro Manila, in a speech at a commuter forum at Ateneo de Manila University.

“They say that to ease the traffic, we should cut the number of vehicles. That may be so, but what we really lack is infrastructure which is the reason for the gridlock,” Poe said in her keynote speech at the First National Commuters Forum at the Ateneo on Thursday.

The forum participants sang “Happy Birthday” when the senator arrived. Poe was celebrating her 47th birthday.

She was recently criticized for her defense of the right of Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) members to rally when they protested the filing of a criminal complaint against church leaders.

The five-day INC rally that ended on Monday inconvenienced commuters on Edsa and Taft Avenue in Manila when they blocked the roads, shutting down traffic.

On Thursday, Poe refused to answer questions on the criticism she received.

“When they say that inclusive growth is important, the first thing they should focus on is infrastructure because infrastructure creates jobs,” Poe said.

She said government projects, such as for tourism, would only bear fruit if we had good roads.

“We have a good campaign in ‘It’s more fun in the Philippines,’ but how could that be true if on landing at the airport, you run into traffic. If you can land on time, that is, because there is also traffic on the runway due to lack of infrastructure,” she said.—Erika Sauler