MANILA, Sept. 6 (PNA) — The government said it is addressing the traffic problem in the country to preserve the economic achievements of the administration.
In a radio interview over dzRB Radyo ng Bayan on Saturday, Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the government is aware of the problems pose by bad traffic condition to the country’s economy.
“We recognize that. In fact, there has been a JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) on the loss of business due to traffic, and for that particular reason, we have been studying measures on how do we alleviate traffic, especially in Metro Manila and NCR (National Capital Region) area,” Lacierda told dzRB Radyo ng Bayan.
In the case of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT), he said the government is addressing the situation by adding additional coaches. He apologized to the public for the inconvenience of the MRT’s service.
Another measure is the establishment of terminals outside Metro Manila’s main thoroughfares, and by not allowing provincial buses to enter Metro Manila, there will be smoother flow of traffic, he said.
A week ago, the government launched the south station. Buses coming from the south have started using the terminal in Alabang and passengers going to Metro Manila have to transfer to another bus.
“We’re also going after the colorum vehicles. That would substantially cut down the number of colorum vehicles that operate. And plus the fact that we also have the color-coding,” he added.
Another thrust of the government to ease the flow of traffic in Metro Manila is the construction of NLEX-SLEX (South Luzon Expressway) connector. Motorists going to the north and vice versa could bypass Metro Manila by using the connector, thus easing traffic.
While the country experiences these concerns, Lacierda said traffic condition is also an indication of a growing economy, which is obviously being experienced by the Philippines right now.
“But as much as it is a sign of a growing economy, we also need and we recognize the need to make sure that traffic does not impede the flow of business productivity,” he added. (PNA)