The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is prepared for the anticipated heavy traffic as Filipinos observe the upcoming Holy Week, it said on Friday, March 1.
MMDA General Manager Frisco San Juan said the agency placed on standby its personnel and equipment in case they are needed for traffic response during the Holy Week from April 10 to 16.
“Nakahanda po ang ating additional traffic enforcers, mga mobile units, at mga motorcycle units para mabilis ang pagresponde sa mga sitwasyon ng trapiko (Our additional traffic enforcers, mobile and motorcycle units are all ready for the swift response to any type of traffic situation),” San Juan said in a Laging Handa briefing.
The MMDA earlier recommended two new number-coding schemes to reduce the traffic flow in Metro Manila by 40 to 50 percent.
The agency also suggested starting “Daylight Saving Time,” in which all government working hours will start from 7 a.m. until 4 a.m. on weekdays to reduce the traffic during morning and afternoon rush hours.
Aside from adjusting the working hours, the MMDA also proposed two types of four-day workweek setups, the first is 10-hour four working days, and the second is four working days and a work-from-home arrangement on the fifth day.
San Juan said that the agency has already coordinated with the Civil Service Commission (CSC) to create guidelines in line with its proposal to reduce the heavy traffic flow in Metro Manila.
“Sabi po ng Civil Service ay gagawa na sila ng permanent guidelines na hindi lang pang pandemic, kung hindi kung anong kinakailangan sa sitwasyon (The Civil Service said that they are already creating permanent guidelines which are not only applicable during the pandemic but also in any kind of situation),” San Juan said.
“Ito po ay nasa kanilang pagaaral ngayon at inaasahan natin na ito ay maisakatuparan sa mga susunod na araw (CSC is already studying it now and we are expecting for the guidelines to be released and implemented within the next couple of days),” he added.