Cayetano: Develop
rural areas, provinces to solve traffic woes in MM
By Office of the Senate
Majority Leader
September 11, 2015
PASAY CITY – "The
solution to Metro Manila traffic problem is not to build more
infrastructure INSIDE NCR, but to build more OUTSIDE the city."
This is Senate Majority
Leader Alan Peter Cayetano's proposition amid the looming congestion
problem affecting millions of residents, motorists and commuters in
the metropolis daily.
Cayetano contends that the
best way to relieve traffic jams in Metro Manila is to start
allocating more funds that will kick start the development of local
economies in provinces outside the National Capital Region (NCR).
He says he is set to file a
bill seeking to establish a Philippine Decentralization Committee (PDC),
which will study and determine specific programs aimed at enhancing
the delivery of goods and services in the countryside, including the
relocation of several agencies to other regions.
For instance, Cayetano
suggested that the Department of Labor and Employment be transferred
to the Ilocos Region (Region I), which had the second highest
unemployment rate in 2015, and the Tourism department to tourist haven
Cebu in Central Visayas (Region VII). While the Department of Energy,
he envisions, can be relocated to the CARAGA Region (Region XIII),
known for its abundant renewable energy sources.
He is also advocating the
establishment of a reliable and efficient Luzon-wide transportation
system, which will pave the way for the construction of an integrated
railway system, high-standard highways, and strategically-located
airports, seaports, and land transport stations in provinces all over
Luzon.
"I pushed for a long-term
and a more feasible solution and that is to create alternative
corridors of development outside NCR. This will not only resolve
traffic jams in the already overcrowded capital, but will also extend
growth throughout the rest of the country," the senator said.
In an effort to manage the
heavy traffic situation in Manila, President Benigno Aquino III has
recently designated the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol
Group (PNP-HPG) to lead the enforcement of traffic rules and ease the
congestion in six “choke points” along the Epifanio Delos Santos Ave.
(EDSA).