By Gabriela Baron
A lawmaker is proposing to ban all private vehicles on EDSA during rush hours ahead of the Christmas rush.
Vehicles maneuver along EDSA in Pasay city, April 22, 2019.
(Czar Dancel / MANILA BULLETIN) "Dapat wakasan na natin 'yong kalbaryong dinaranas nung mga manggagawa, ordinaryong mamamayan dahil talaga naman wala tayong epektibong mass transport system. Daan-daan, libo-libo 'yong mga manggagawang nahihirapan araw-araw pagpasok sa kanilang tanggapan. Alas kwatro pa lang gumigising na para makapasok nang maaga, kung minsan hating gabi na nakakauwi, wala nang panahon sa pamilya," said Caloocan Representative Edgar Erice in an interview with DZMM. (We should put an end to the suffering of the ordinary people just because there is no effective mass transport system. Every day, hundreds, thousands are suffering. They wake up as early as 4 a.m but get home as late as midnight.) Erice added that there was a need for an "immediate solution" while the rehabilitation of MRT-3, construction of the Metro Manila subway, and completion of the  NLEX-SLEX road connector are not yet finished. He wants to ban private cars on EDSA from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. "Five lanes sa EDSA for public buses and other PUVs (public utility vehicles). Mass transport na lang po ang pwede nating padaanin dyan, (We should only allow public buses and other PUVs in all the five lanes on EDSA)" the lawmaker continued. According to Erice 300,000 private cars pass EDSA daily compared to only 80,000 buses. "Ang magiging epekto nito, napakabilis ngayon nang pagpasok at pag-uwi ng mga manggagawa, makakatipid pa sa gasolina, at lalaki pa ang kita ng ating mga bus driver at baka makadalawa o higit na trips pa sila sa loob ng 6-9," (It would fasten the travel time of the commuters, they would also save gas, and the earnings of our bus drivers will increase.) "Kung wala man tayong mass transport system, at least meron tayong mass transport na dadaanan, (If we can't have a good transport system, then at least we can possibly have a mass transport highway)" he ended.
Vehicles maneuver along EDSA in Pasay city, April 22, 2019.(Czar Dancel / MANILA BULLETIN) "Dapat wakasan na natin 'yong kalbaryong dinaranas nung mga manggagawa, ordinaryong mamamayan dahil talaga naman wala tayong epektibong mass transport system. Daan-daan, libo-libo 'yong mga manggagawang nahihirapan araw-araw pagpasok sa kanilang tanggapan. Alas kwatro pa lang gumigising na para makapasok nang maaga, kung minsan hating gabi na nakakauwi, wala nang panahon sa pamilya," said Caloocan Representative Edgar Erice in an interview with DZMM. (We should put an end to the suffering of the ordinary people just because there is no effective mass transport system. Every day, hundreds, thousands are suffering. They wake up as early as 4 a.m but get home as late as midnight.) Erice added that there was a need for an "immediate solution" while the rehabilitation of MRT-3, construction of the Metro Manila subway, and completion of the  NLEX-SLEX road connector are not yet finished. He wants to ban private cars on EDSA from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. "Five lanes sa EDSA for public buses and other PUVs (public utility vehicles). Mass transport na lang po ang pwede nating padaanin dyan, (We should only allow public buses and other PUVs in all the five lanes on EDSA)" the lawmaker continued. According to Erice 300,000 private cars pass EDSA daily compared to only 80,000 buses. "Ang magiging epekto nito, napakabilis ngayon nang pagpasok at pag-uwi ng mga manggagawa, makakatipid pa sa gasolina, at lalaki pa ang kita ng ating mga bus driver at baka makadalawa o higit na trips pa sila sa loob ng 6-9," (It would fasten the travel time of the commuters, they would also save gas, and the earnings of our bus drivers will increase.) "Kung wala man tayong mass transport system, at least meron tayong mass transport na dadaanan, (If we can't have a good transport system, then at least we can possibly have a mass transport highway)" he ended.