By Gabriela Baron
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Spokesperson Celine Pialago believes that there is only traffic problem, and not a transport crisis, in the metropolis.
Commuters rush to board a jeepney during rush hour in Quezon City .(Mark Balmores)
"We acknowledge that there is a problem, first, that there's congestion. If we speak on the volume of vehicles traversing EDSA alone, we are now at 410,000 daily," Pialago said in an interview with CNN Philippines.
She added that EDSA only has a daily carrying capacity of 245,000 vehicles.
The MMDA Spokesperson added that they "don't want to argue more with the semantics."
"It depends on our netizens on how they experience it. But for us, we would just like to assure them that we acknowledge that there is a problem," Pialago said.
Earlier, EDSA Special Traffic and Transport Zone Chief Bong Nebrija said it was "exaggerated" and "unfair" to say that there was a transportation crisis in Metro Manila.
"Medyo magsasakripisyo tayo, aantayin natin 'tong mga proyektong 'to na matapos, pero para naman po sabihin natin na at this time na halos malapit na matapos, sasabihin pa natin na may transportation crisis. I think it's exaggerated," said Nebrija.
(We just have to sacrifice first, wait for MMDA’s projects to finish. We are nearly there, so it’s really exaggerated to say that there is a transportation crisis.)
READ MORE: MMDA official says it’s unfair to say that Metro Manila is experiencing transportation crisis
The MMDA also said that they will ask malls to adjust their operating hours to reduce the number of vehicles traversing EDSA.
"We will have a dialogue with them and request for the adjustment of their schedules," said Pialago.
The agency said they are planning to ask for late-hour operations starting at 11 a.m.
"In the past two to three years, they've been cooperative, so we're expecting no problem this Christmas season,"
She added that there are 17 malls located along EDSA.
"When I started in the MMDA, it's just 15. As we've monitored, every mall, as early as 9 in the morning has at least 1,000 motorists going inside the mall. At least we can save that 1,000 motorists from traversing EDSA during rush hour. So that would help a lot," Pialago ended.
READ MORE: MMDA to ban weekday mall sales during Christmas season