Pernia says JICA study on Metro Manila traffic woes “helpful indicator”

February 23, 2018

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia welcomed on Friday a new study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which showed an increase in the amount of opportunities lost due to traffic in Metro Manila.

"It’s a helpful indicator of the traffic problem," he said in a text message to Daily Manila Shimbun.

Pernia, also director general of the National Economic and Development Authority, said the government’s Build Build Build program is "precisely designed to alleviate the traffic problem in Metro Manila and more importantly develop the regions so that economic activities can be diverted to those regions and urban areas outside MM."

A new JICA study showed the cost of traffic in Metro Manila rose to P3.5 billion a day in 2017 from P2.4 billion based on previous transport roadmap.

With an estimated 12.8 million population in Metro Manila as of 2015, that amounts to P273 each resident a day from P187.5 each resident in the previous roadmap.

Without intervention, the daily cost traffic will increase to P5.4 billion. Celerina Monte/DMS