Traffic solutions sans emergency powers

INQUIRER FILE

It has been two months of wrangling in both Houses of Congress, and the nation is still to see the progress of the emergency powers sought by the President in resolving the traffic problem in Metro Manila.

Indeed, it is very telling that even the process in Congress is at snail’s pace. While the powers that be are still deliberating on the wisdom of the emergency powers, there are practical measures that could alleviate the problem.

When exploring solutions, the instantaneous proposal is always to build new infrastructures. But the country can only build so many roads, skyways, railways or subways (hopefully) in an area such as Metro Manila. It cannot forever reclaim the Manila Bay in the west, or flatten the Rizal mountain range in the east. The government has to identify the magnet factors that continually draw people to the metropolis, and address them, to minimize their impact on traffic.

Job opportunities are the most prevalent reason people flock to urban areas. Admittedly, this would be difficult to address. And unless companies explored the outskirts, the migration of people into Metro Manila for better lives would continue. But this is not the only reason that entices people to the city. There are other causes of traffic, and they can be easily addressed by the government.

The Internet and online traffic

The internet and online transactions should help ease the traffic problem in Metro Manila. Presently, whether paying bills, or requesting government documents or clearances, one has to travel to a bayad center, bank or to a government agency. These trivial transactions can be facilitated online. In other countries, renewal of driver’s licenses and car registration, job applications and document requests are conducted online. This can be done in the Philippines, too.

To complement online transactions, the government should require companies with more than ten employees to facilitate the opening of bank accounts for their employees, and pay them through these accounts. With a bank account that can be used for online payments, Aling Maria can process bill payments from home. Meaning, lesser foot traffic. An accessible, affordable and reliable Internet is a big key.

Streamline job requirements

Prohibit employers from requiring job applicants to produce NBI clearance, police clearance, barangay clearance and all kind of clearances. Imagine 100 people applying for one job opening for a janitorial position and all of them traveling to these offices? And who checks the authenticity of these clearances anyway? Is it not to the employer’s best interest to conduct its own background checks. Thus, instead of requiring 100 people to obtain clearances, an employer would probably be interested in checking only its shortlisted applicants. With an authorization from the applicant and procedure in place with NBI and the police for the employer’s background investigation, this would help lessen foot traffic. hey

And if hiring should be streamlined, the same should be done for retiring government employees. After working underpaid for decades, the government should let them retire quietly, sans the requirement of clearance if it is intended solely to prove that a retiring employee does not have any pending accountabilities.

It is incomprehensible that a retiring police officer from a far-flung province has to come to Camp Crame and stay in Manila for weeks, while working on his clearance to retire. Let government employees retire comfortably. Spare them from traveling to Manila and contributing traffic to the city.

Revisit college programs

Traffic is at its peak during opening and dismissal time of schools. The daily schedule of college students almost always coincides with the lower levels, due to required numerous, yet unnecessary and irrelevant subjects. Why should college students still take Physical Education? Is it not too late to teach them about Rizal, History, Land Reform, Constitution, etc.? If the country has to instill nationalism, it should be done at the earliest time possible, not when a student is focused on charting his future. If college courses are streamlined, classes could start late, sparing the roads for the elementary and high school students.

Connecting International and Domestic Flights

A whole clan sending off/welcoming home a family member would surely create havoc around NAIA. It is our custom and we cannot outlaw it. But we can do something with it to ease the traffic around NAIA. If those traveling from the Ilocos and Bicol regions, Visayas and Mindanao had connecting domestic flights and need not stay extra days in Manila while waiting for their international flights, it would help address this problem. The government should work with the airline industry for viable flight schedules that would connect international and domestic flights.

Medical Facilities in the Provinces

The viable medical facilities in the country are all in Metro Manila — the Philippine Heart Center, NKTI, Asian Hospital, Makati Medical Center, Saint Luke’s Hospital, Veterans Hospital, etc. It is no wonder families living hundreds of kilometers away troop to Manila to seek appropriate medical care. If the government could address this issue by putting up one super medical center in every region and reliable tertiary level government hospitals in every province, the exodus of people to the city would be minimized.

And it is possible. With the money from PAGCOR, PCSO, and pork barrel of politicians directly allocated to the hospitals, there would be enough funds for this proposal. And it would lessen foot traffic, too. Patients and their families would no longer need to travel again to Manila and beg for help from these agencies, which they should not be doing in the first place.

Christmas traffic

The December traffic is extremely horrendous. Yes, Christmas season cannot be moved to a different time, but something can be done to the flow of traffic. The spirit of holiday season starts with the “ber” months. Releases of 13^th month pay and other bonuses should be encouraged as soon as Jose Mari Chan’s songs are played in malls.

Instead of using November as the cut-off date to entitle an employee for year-end bonuses, legislation should be passed encouraging companies to use cumulative calendar in granting bonuses, such as those who have worked 10 of the last 12 months as of September. There must be a way.

And more proposals

The Park and Ride in the Plaza Lawton area is a laudable concept, albeit in the wrong place. Instead of constructing park and rides in the middle of cities creating bottlenecks, such facilities should be constructed in the suburbs that would complement rail service travel from those areas. With railways servicing the provinces around Metro Manila and park and ride in strategic areas, more families would be encouraged to live outside the metropolis and lessen vehicular traffic.

It is a shame that the country has still to optimize travel on waterways. Had the Aquino government pursued the RORO program of the Arroyo administration, the country would have improved considerably in the transport sector. Reliance on provincial buses would have been reduced. Not only the daily grind of road traffic would be addressed, but the country could also tap sea travel to respond during calamities when highways and roads are impassable. After ST Yolanda, the country should learn by now that relief operations could be facilitated and moved quicker through sea travel after a storm.

In Metro Manila, the Pasig river ferry service should be improved and the entrepreneurs ferrying passengers across the river between Mandaluyong and Makati should be supported. This should decongest major thoroughfares, especially those traveling from Marikina, Quezon City and the Pasig area.

Traffic beneficiaries

These proposals would raise some eyebrows — mall operators, banks, schools and those who rely on foot traffic for their businesses. Yes, there are those who profit from the traffic. More people that troop to malls means more business opportunities; more college credits, more tuition fees; more patients, more bills; more personal government transactions, more opportunity for corruption. Any improvement of the Internet service and growth of online transactions would adversely affect the brick and mortar businesses. In other countries, several companies are closing stores as they continually lose customers to online transactions.

Banks may take issue about the administrative expense in maintaining bank accounts, but the scheme would open opportunities for short-term money market investments from the deposited payroll accounts. And a minimal transaction fee for online transactions can be explored to cope with the administrative expense. Schools can offer online courses to keep afloat and cut administrative expenses in maintaining the traditional system. Private hospitals can explore the provinces, especially that Philhealth has expanded its coverage, and there is continuing need for medical facilities in the provinces.

Filipino commuters have sacrificed a lot for so long. It is the turn of vested interests to pick up their share. And for the government, emergency powers or not, it has to act fast and decisively, as other cities in the country are already catching up with the traffic problem in Metro Manila.

Eubert Marc T. Hilario, Esq., is admitted to the Philippine Bar and the New York State Bar. He obtained a Master of Laws Program from the Villanova University School of Law, in Pennsylvania, USA, and law degree from the San Beda College of Law. He may be reached at [email protected].