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The Aquino administration may have improved the country’s economy, but has undeniably fallen short on developing the mass transport infrastructure, an opposition lawmaker claims.
Senator JV Ejercito said the improvement of mass transport system in the Philippines has lagged behind for the past five years under the current leadership, citing some contracts for transport services which have been put on hold by the government.
“It’s not only budgeting. I think it’s the political system that has something to do with it. I feel that because of our three-year and six year terms, most of the administrations are only concentrating on their respective terms. That’s why they focus on programs that make them popular,” Ejercito told Karen Davila in an interview on ANC’s Headstart.
Ejercito, who chairs the Senate economic affairs committee, pointed out that one sure solution to Metro Manila traffic woes is the long-sought upgrading and construction of more railways across far distances.
“If we have a mass transit system, I don’t think people will continue to buy cars,” said Ejercito.
He said that the government should invest more in long-term traffic solutions and prioritize transportation projects that “would occupy less space but can move more people,” such as the bus rapid transit (BRT).
“My belief is that, if we just lay down the mass transit, it will solve a lot of problems, not only congestion. It will spread out development to the countryside and at the same time it will bring down the cost of living of the employees,” he said.
The senator added that the new traffic measures in the metro such as the deployment of the PNP Highway Patrol Group along EDSA “can only do so much” given the huge and increasing number of cars.
