As a means to alleviate traffic congestion in Metro Manila, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos pledged to develop neighboring cities and provinces in a 5-minute video posted on his official YouTube channel on Sunday, April 7.
In said video, President Marcos noted the fact that the metropolis truly is congested, stressing the need to expand development efforts beyond Metro Manila in order to relieve the strain on the capital’s transportation networks.
“Congested ang Metro Manila, kung kaya bahagi talaga ng pag-paplano ay mai-develop ang mga kalapit na probinsya at siyudad. ‘Yan ang mga nakikita natin ngayon na developments,” the chief executive remarked, citing Bulacan, Pampanga in the north, and Cavite and Laguna in the south as potential areas of focus.
He emphasized that said plans for development expansion are aimed at augmenting infrastructure and economic opportunities outside Metro Manila, which he then highlighted as probably one of the most effective solutions to counter traffic congestion in the metropolis.
However, the chief executive forewarned that such large-scale projects will no doubt take time to materialize and will further exacerbate existing traffic woes before commuters and motorists can experience gridlock relief.
Recognizing the inconvenience these projects might cause in the interim, President Marcos appealed for patience from the public, assuring them that once completed, these initiatives would significantly improve traffic conditions.
“Malaking proyektg itong mga ito, kaya naman dapat nating isipin na hindi bukas na natin mararamdaman ito dahil malaki talaga ang scale at kung minsan pa nga ay nakakaabala pa dun sa mga traffic ngayon,” he stated.
“Kaya’t pag-tyagaan niyo lang, pero pagka-nabuo na ‘yan, asahan ninyo gaganda ang sitwasyon natin,” President Marcos added. | Kian Kirby F. Florano