San Juan City Mayor and Metro Manila Council (MMC) President Francis Zamora on Thursday, April 11, said political will and sustained clearing operations in major roads in the National Capital Region (NCR) are the keys in ensuring that the traffic situation, considered as one of the worst in the world, remains manageable.
Mayor Francis Zamora
"Kami po sa mga local government units (LGUs) ay gumagawa ng mga hakbang pwera sa 7-4 na shift in work hours gaya nung ating road clearing operations sa ating mga lungsod at barangay, siguraduhin na walang mga nakaharang na sasakyan na naka illegal parking sa mga kalye, yung ating mga road repairs na dapat sa gabi gawin imbis na sa umaga. Ito yung whole of nation approach na kung saan ibat ibang departamento ng pamahalaang nasyonal ay nakikipagtulungan sa mga LGUs (We in the LGUs are creating steps aside from the 7-4 shift in work hours of the different offices of the LGUs such as the implementation of road clearing operations in our cities and barangays, ensuring there are no illegally parked vehicles, and doing road repair works in the evening)," Zamora said in a radio interview.
"Dito po sa San Juan eh maayos ang ating road clearing operations. Yes, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has the mandate to clear (obstructions), pero ang mga LGUs ay meron ding mandato para gawin yan kaya mas mabuti na ang mga LGUs at ang MMDA ay magtulungan dyan (Our road clearing operations here in San Juan remain to be successful. Yes, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has the mandate to clear roads but the LGUs also have the mandate to perform the same task. Hence, it's much better for the LGUs and the MMDA to continuously coordinate and work together on this)," he added.
"All of these will take a lot of political will dahil minsan talaga maraming mga hindi sumusunod at kinakailangan ay isipin natin kung ano ba ang tama at mali. Wag na nating isipin yung pulitika na may magagalit o mababawasan ang boto (All of these will take a lot of political will because there really are a lot of people who don't follow the law. We must always think of doing what is right and refrain from thinking about politics and losing votes)," Zamora stressed.
"Nung nagsimula kami ng road clearing dito sa San Juan, maraming nagagalit na violators sapagkat sila yung hindi sumusunod, sila ang matitigas ang ulo, sila ang nagagalit. Pero yung majority ng mamamayan ay natutuwa sapagkat nakikita nila na malinis ang kalye, sumusunod ang mga mamamayan (When we started the road clearing in San Juan, a number of people were really angry at us, mostly, the violators. But majority of the citizens were happy because our roads became clean and free from obstructions," the MMC president added.
On the issue of obstruction violators happening under the noses of the barangays, Zamora explained that barangay officials who are not enforcing the law can be charged through the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
"Tungkulin po ng ating mga barangay officials na ayusin ang problema sa fee parking, double parking, illegal parking. Enforcement is key. Kahit anong polisiya ang gawin natin pero hindi naman ito pinapatupad ng maayos eh balewala po yan (It's the responsibility of the barangay officials to fix the problem on fee parking, double parking, and illegal parking. Enforcement is key. Even if we create numerous policies, if these will not be implemented properly, then they will just be useless," the mayor stressed.
The mayor noted that each LGU may prescribe or assign parking spaces in their areas through local autonomy given by the Local Government Code. However, Mabuhay Lanes should be cleared of illegally parked vehicles and other obstructions as these are the designated shortcuts for motorists.
New schedule
On April 10, Metro Manila LGUs and all agencies under them have adjusted the start of working hours to 7 a.m. as part of the solution to address the perennial traffic problem in the National Capital Region (NCR).
The MMC, through a resolution, urged President Marcos to issue an executive order that will adopt the same working hours—from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. from the traditional 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
This way, all the national government agencies located in Metro Manila will also be compelled to do the same, and eventually help ease traffic problems and improved commuting conditions for all workers in NCR.
Citing what it described as a comprehensive examination on the prevailing traffic condition in Metro Manila, the MMC said the existing traffic congestion in Metro Manila has highlighted the need for innovative measures to address it.
“The findings derived from the MMDA (Metropolitan Manila Development Authority) study underscore the potential effectiveness of implementing a standardized working schedule for government offices in Metro Manila, particularly during peak hours, in reducing traffic congestion,” the MMC Resolution read.
It said the 7 p.m. to 4 p.m. working hours would certainly ease congestion in Metro Manila roads since this means that government workers would have time to adjust their travel time.
Another benefit of the adjustment of working hours, according to the resolution, is that government workers would no longer be crossing paths with employees of private companies that usually implement the 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. working hours during the morning and afternoon rush hours.
As such, both government workers and private company employees will have breathing space in the morning and afternoon rush hours.
In the same Resolution, the MMC said government transactions will not be affected since based on the observation, government transactions commonly start before 8 a.m. and end before 5 p.m.
In reinforcing the legal basis of its decision, the MMC cited Section 6, Rule XVII of the Omnibus Rules Implementing Book V of the Administrative Code of 1987 which authorizes flexible working schedules in the government.
In the Resolution, the MMC urged all LGUs in Metro Manila to adopt their respective ordinances for the implementation of the adjusted working hours.
The Resolution will take effect on April 15, following its publication in the Official Gazette or a newspaper of general circulation.