Senate urged to look into gov’t plans to address ‘worsening’ traffic in Metro Manila

The Senate has been urged to conduct an inquiry into the government plans and programs to solve the “worsening” traffic congestion in Metro Manila and other highly-urbanized cities in the Philippines.

Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva filed proposed Senate Resolution 859, citing its “significant personal, social, environmental, and economic impacts.”

“There is a need to review the policies and revisit the programs and plans of the [Department of Transportation, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Department of the Interior and Local Government] and other relevant agencies on ameliorating heavy traffic conditions in the Philippines,” Villanueva said in his resolution.

In 2022, the TomTom Traffic Index showed that Manila ranked ninth out of 390 cities and first in Southeast Asian cities when it comes to traffic congestion.

The study showed that it took an average of 27 minutes to travel 10 kilometers in 2022 with commuters spending 100 hours in traffic out of 241 driving hours yearly.

Villanueva, citing data from Japan International Cooperation Agency, said the Philippines is losing billions of pesos with estimated daily loss due to traffic in Metro Manila at P2.4 billion in 2014, P3.5 billion in 2018, and P4.9 billion in 2023.

JICA projected that the economic costs will increase to P6 billion per day by 2030.

 “A good transport structure is a fundamental component of the tourism industry. Tourism heavily relies on transportation to bring tourists from one destination to another…With comfort on their minds and limited time on their hands, tourists would drop itineraries should there be traffic congestion on the way to their destinations. It is more likely that tourists would choose cities with efficient transport systems,” Villanueva said.

The majority leader also highlighted in the resolution statements from MMDA on traffic congestion during holiday season despite several national and local government programs aimed to minimize traffic jams.

He noted that MMDA warned last year of a 10% to 20% increase in traffic volume or about 417,000 to 430,000 vehicles passing through Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA), a major thoroughfare in Metro Manila, daily due to the holiday season.

Apart from this, the lawmaker mentioned the Department of Tourism’s report last year indicating international arrivals have peaked in December as tourists and Filipinos opted to spend their holiday vacation in the Philippines.

“Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Senate of the Philippines, that the appropriate Committee/s of the Senate conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, on the plans and programs of the government to solve the worsening traffic congestion in Metro Manila and in other highly urbanized cities of the country,” Villanueva wrote.

The resolution was referred to the Senate committee on public services chaired by Senator Grace Poe.—AOL, GMA Integrated News