Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III said that Metro Manila should be made a “no-parking zone” in order to resolve the worsening state of traffic congestion.
During a hearing of the Senate Committee on Public Services, Sotto said that the “no-parking zone” should be implemented across Metro Manila to ease traffic in major cities.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, the author of “no garage, no car” policy, expressed his support for Sotto’s proposal. Gatchalian, who asked President Duterte to certify the bill as urgent, also proposed for the transfer of government offices to the New Clark City in Tarlac.
Meanwhile, Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) GM Jose Arturo Garcia Jr. explained that the agency is not “experimenting” to ease congestion along EDSA at the expense of the riding public.
“We are not experimenting. Panahon pa ni PNoy (Even during the time of former President Noynoy Aquino), naglabas na sila ng (they already launched an) integrated terminal,” Garcia said.
Sen. Grace Poe however said that although she commends the MMDA’s effort in resolving traffic along EDSA, prohibiting provincial buses from picking up and dropping off passengers along Metro Manila’s busiest thoroughfare is still not the answer. – With Malou Escudero
