The influential Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) is asking the government to reallocate a portion of the ₱255.5 billion originally intended for flood control projects to fund the upgrade of stations along the EDSA Busway.

“Since the government is not inclined to appropriate funds for flood control projects, funds there can be more ideally reallocated to the Busway System,” the MAP said in a letter to Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez.

The letter was signed by MAP President Alfredo Panlilio and the group’s transportation and infrastructure committee chairman, Eduardo Yap.

The business group said reallocating funds for the EDSA Busway is necessary given that the transport system continues to have “no meaningful budget allocation”.

Case in point, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) originally requested a budget of ₱936.09 million for the busway in its proposed budget next year.

The DOTr only received ₱88.71 million under the National Expenditure Program (NEP), or around 10 percent of the request.

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. earlier announced that ₱255.5 billion that were originally allocated for flood control projects will be redirected to priority programs of other agencies. This comes after the discovery of substandard and non-existent projects allegedly mired in corruption.

Based on the budget reallocation list posted on Sept. 26 by the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), a total of ₱221.55 billion has been proposed for transfer to other government programs.

The DOTr will see its proposed budget of ₱197.33 billion next year raised by ₱1 billion for the rehabilitation of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT), according to PCO.

As it stands, nearly ₱40 billion of the funds meant for flood control projects has yet to be reallocated.

The MAP stated that this provides lawmakers in the House of Representatives and the Senate the opportunity to allocate the budget for the EDSA Busway.

“President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. correctly stated that the extant car-centric policy is no longer appropriate as it has deprived the public of much-needed road space. Mass commuter transport is the answer to mobility,” the group said.

“The government's commitment to ease the plight of bus commuters must be met,” it added.

The DOTr plans to upgrade all busway stations by 2026, before proceeding with the turnover of operations and maintenance (O&M) of the EDSA Busway to the private sector.

The agency is keen on building dedicated stations, away from the current configuration that is connected with the MRT-3, which is now prone to severe congestion during rush hour.

Apart from other ancillary facilities, the MAP added that these stations must be equipped with an overhead bridgeway connecting to the station platforms along the road median beside the MRT-3 railway, and must also provide convenient access for physically challenged commuters.

The group said the stations that must be upgraded include Kamuning, Cubao/Araneta, Santolan, Camp Aguinaldo, Corinthian Gardens, Highway Hills, Estrella St. (Rockwell), Ayala/EDSA, Magallanes, Malibay, F.B. Harrison, MOA/J. Diokno, Aseana/Macapagal and PITX.

“The Congress now has the opportunity to provide the budget for the vital Busway-dedicated stations which can be easily completed in 2026 when bidded out in batches to large reputable contractors," it said.

The MAP is also recommending the creation of a schematic busway system plan that would complement the EDSA Busway, potentially linking Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City and other major routes such as Quezon Avenue, C5, Sucat, and Alabang Zapote.

There should also be a roadmap for a region-wide busway system that will complement existing and under-construction railway systems, the group said.

The EDSA busway has a daily average of 200,000 commuters, with over 500 buses in operation.