by Chito A. Fuentes
Unlike other presidential wannabes who either do not know what to do or do not want to lose votes, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has given hints on what he will do with the monstrous traffic jams in Metro Manila.
In various speaking engagements, Duterte said he will build a new port in Batangas or somewhere south and maximize the Clark airport.
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| Cartoon from Arlene Pasaje blog |
The mayor said the horrendous traffic in Manila is one of the impediments of progress.
A recent study says the Philippines is losing P2.4 billion a day because of traffic congestion. That is P876-B a year, a significant amount in a country saddled with P6 trillion foreign debt.
When asked during a roundtable discussion with Inquirer editors what is his solution to the problem, Duterte candidly replied “wala”.
It was not because he didn’t have a solution. Duterte, a sucker for idioms and figure of speech, was describing the enormity of the problem.
“Walang mangyayari sa atin,” he has repeatedly declared. Of course, he is merely stressing the obvious.
While administration barkers gloat over a modest growth in the economy, they conveniently gloss over the fact that Southeast Asia has experienced modest growth and the Philippines is actually lagging behind its neighbors.
“How can expect the economy to improve if you spend hours on the road waiting for the traffic to improve?” he asked almost always.
Duterte said traders always look for the “fastest, safest and cheapest” way to move their goods.
The mayor said moving the sea port and airport away from the metropolis will decongest it aside from dispersing progress.
“You have to have a fast train with two points of entry somewhere in Metro Manila that is not too crowded,” he added to explain how the goods will be transported to the metro.
Duterte also plans to improve mass transport which will make it more attractive even to the middle and even upper class.
“The reason is very obvious - it is in front of you. Every day thousands of motor vehicles go out of the casa because they are sold,” he pointed out in an interview with TV 5.
The poor state of public transport is one of the reasons blamed for the congested streets cluttered with private vehicles.
Under the Aquino administration, the MRT is in very bad shape that only those who don’t have cars will take their chance with it.
The mayor, however, conceded that the traffic problem is so big six years won’t be enough to solve it.
Duterte was cursing over his frustrations after being caught in the traffic during the visit of Pope Francis that led to a backlash with no less than Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines president Bishop Socrates Villegas swiftly denouncing him for it.
The mayor has since apologized for it in a visit to Bishop Romulo Valles and promising to fine himself P1,000 for every expletive uttered.
Duterte’s outburst against the scant attention or even silence on the part of his rivals gives him the edge in terms of his sincerity to address the problem. (CHITO A. FUENTES)
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