The Metro Manila Development Authority has endorsed the five-point action plan proposed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency to address the worsening traffic situation in the capital, including the transfer of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and the Manila North Harbor.
“These proposals are good,” said MMDA Traffic Discipline Office chief Crisanto Saruca Jr. days after the agency identified seven choke points along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue and the roads leading to Manila North Harbor as among the priority traffic-prone areas where emergency powers for President Rodrigo Duterte will be needed the most.
He explained that decongesting Metro Manila is a top priority for the new administration, which has already expressed openness to the use of emergency powers to resolve the daily traffic jams.
The MMDA official, however, said the government needs to consider existing support structures if the airport and port operations are transferred outside Metro Manila.
“We have so many support structures to be considered like the hotels, transportation, immigration and customs for airports, among others,” Saruca explained.
Jica, in its 2014 study requested by the National Economic and Development Authority, stated that traffic jams have been resulting in productivity loss of at least P2.4 million a day.
It warned that productivity loss could reach P6 billion a day in 2030 if the problem is not solved, prompting lawmakers to cite the study as ground for proposals to grant President Rodrigo Duterte emergency powers.
Jica noted that since domestic shipping is primarily from the south of Manila, there would be savings in ship operating cost if they dock at Batangas rather than at North Harbor.
“This would also trigger a shift of cargo movements away from Manila and provide a volume of exportable twenty-foot equivalent units or TEUs [the capacity unit of container ships] that may entice foreign vessels to call at Batangas Port,” Jica said.
“Thus, this would free up North Harbor, which has an area of about 600 hectares, for possible conversion into a mixed-use waterfront property development. For the City of Manila, it represents an opportunity to revitalize the city and regain its old glory,” it added.
The Jica study also found that additional commuting cost for passengers if Clark is converted as the country’s main airport makes the plan not feasible.
“It is proposed herefore, that a new study be initiated to find a replacement for Naia within a short radius of 50 kilometers and to examine the full range of costs. Redeveloping Sangley combined with an access system may turn out to be cheaper,” it said.
Other proposals contained in the Jica study are the construction of a mega-Manila Subway System and secondary mass transport lines as well as reforming the road-based public transport system.
“Engineering-wise, the subway system is possible here in the Philippines. The challenge there is the earthquake, flooding but I saw Hong Kong and they have underground tunnel,” Saruca said.
Senator Franklin Drilon has already filed a bill seeking to grant Duterte emergency powers for two years to address the perennial traffic problem not only in Metro Manila but also in other major urban areas as well.
Senate Bill 11 or the proposed Transportation Crisis Act of 2016, authorizes Duterte to adopt alternative methods of procurement for the construction, repair, rehabilitation, improvement or maintenance of transportation projects.
The measure also assures that no court, except the Supreme Court, shall issue any temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction or preliminary mandatory injunction against the government or any of its officials or any person or entity acting under the government direction to restrain, prohibit, or compel in the acquisition, clearance, and development of the right of way; and bidding or awarding of any transportation project identified by the President.