The government is optimistic that the Philippines will soon be removed from the list of top 10 countries with worst traffic conditions amid the ongoing infrastructure development.
According to Presidential spokesman Harry Roque, the country's road conditions are expected to improve as soon as various infrastructure projects, such as the country's first ever subway, are completed.
"Sigurong in a year's time when we finish all these projects ay bababa na po tayo, mawawala na tayo sa top 10. Pero siyempre po, kinakailangan ang solusyon sa traffic – improved infrastructure and improved mass transportation (Maybe in a year's time when we finish all these projects, our ranking will drop. We will no longer be in the top 10 but of course, the solution to traffic is improved infrastructure and improve mass transportation)," Roque said during a televised press briefing.
According to the 2020 Number Traffic index report, the Philippines ranked ninth with the worst traffic congestion among 81 countries.
Based on the report, the country obtained a score of 198.84 points, becoming the nation with poorest traffic situation in Southeast Asia. The country's neighbors like Indonesia has scored 194.61, followed by Thailand at 170.6, Malaysia at 169.14, Singapore at 148.61, and Vietnam at 111.12 when it comes to traffic jams.
Nigeria topped the global ranking with worst traffic condition at 308.03 points.
Roque said the government has many infrastructure projects including the construction of the Metro Manila subway and expansion of the railway systems linking Metro Manila to nearby provinces. The subway project, backed by Japanese financing, involves the construction of a 35-kilometer subway from Quezon City to Pasay City. It is expected to commence partial operations by 2022.
"So kapag lahat po iyan ay nag-online na, makikita natin baka wala na po tayo sa top ten; baka nga wala na tayo sa top 20. (If these projects become online, we will see that we may no longer be in the top 10, or even top 20). It’s really a matter of infrastructure, both in terms of roads and in terms of mass transportation," Roque said.
He also mentioned his smooth travel experience when he passed along the North Luzon Expressway Harbor Link road project. He noted that the road project provides access to NLEX without passing through EDSA.