Postpone Edsa rehabilitation, senator urges
Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito–Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. JV Ejercito on Saturday recommended the postponement of the full rehabilitation of Edsa, warning that the two-year rebuilding of Metro Manila’s main artery would result in a “hellish situation” that may be too costly for the country.
“I am just wondering if the (state) departments and agencies concerned did an economic impact assessment of the total Edsa rehabilitation,” Ejercito said in a statement.
“[It] might be more detrimental than beneficial in the short term. This would not just be chaotic. It would be super chaotic!” he added.
READ: MMDA sets 20 rerouting schemes for Edsa rehab
Railways, subways first
Ejercito, who had been pushing for the construction of mass transportation systems, said it would be better for the government to complete first the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) and the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP) before implementing the major road repairs starting June 16.
“In this way, the movement of people would be easier when the two railway lines are already operating, thus possibly reducing the volume of cars [in Edsa],” he said.
Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon earlier said that the 147-kilometer NSCR, which will connect Malolos City, in Bulacan province, to Clark International Airport in Pampanga, and to Tutuban, Manila and Calamba City, Laguna, may start partial operations in early 2027.
However, Dizon said its full operation, which was initially projected to be in 2027, may be delayed by at least four years.
On the other hand, the transportation secretary said the P448.5-billion MMSP, which was chiefly financed by loans from Japan International Cooperation Agency, would be finished in 2032.
According to Ejercito, the daily bottlenecks in Metro Manila are expected to worsen due to the return of the No Contact Apprehension Policy and the revival of the odd-even scheme, which will ban vehicles on Edsa based on the last digit of their license plates.
Shared lanes
“These are ingredients for a hellish situation in [Metro Manila],” he warned.
Ejercito, who usually rides his bike from his house in San Juan City in going to his Senate office in Pasay City, had earlier opposed the plan to prohibit bicycles and motorcycles from using the overpasses and underpasses in Edsa.
“Having motorcycle lanes or ‘shared lanes’ can be [implemented] for an experimental period in certain areas,” said the senator, who is also a motorcycle enthusiast. /cb
