Joint government efforts to remove road obstructions and improve traffic flow to streamline travel amid the oil crisis were initiated by the Department of Transportation (DOTr), working alongside the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and Philippine National Police (PNP).
To accommodate the anticipated influx of travelers during the Holy Week, the DOTr said it will move away all road obstructions not only along Maharlika Highway, but also along MacArthur Highway with the help of the PNP - Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) and similar agencies.
These obstructions include vehicles parked on the sidewalks, Transportation Secretary Giovanni “Banoy” Lopez said in a joint press conference on Tuesday. PNP Chief Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the police would assist in their removal.
“Nandiyan ang pulis para manghuli dito sa illegally parked. And at the same time, we will use all our resources para matanggal itong mga obstruction dito sa kalsada. We have all the personnel—in fact, almost half of the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) strength, around 98,000, ay made-deploy po ito for utilization for peace and order, and at the same time, for emergency response and ensure public safety,” Nartatez later added.
Furthermore, he said authorities will talk to farmers regarding sun-drying their grains on other days, as usual practice would have them spreading grains out over the roadsides and even car lanes.
Land Transportation Office (LTO) and Land Transportation Franchising Board (LTFRB) personnel have also been tasked to respond promptly when vehicles experience issues on the road, Lopez said.
DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon also emphasized that the best way to address traffic congestion on or before the holidays is to ensure travelers spend less time on the road.
“Kailangan maibsan natin kahit papaano ‘yung hirap ng mga kababayan natin. And one critical way of doing that is less time on the road. Less time on the road means less consumption, this means less expenses sa mga kababayan natin kasi mas mabilis sila makakarating (sa pupuntahan nila),” he said.
To do this, he ensured there were no “one way” roads and that critical segments of Maharlika Highway in poor condition were repaired, even in patches, prior to its more intensive rehabilitation after the Holy Week.
Moreover, all road construction work was halted from the past weekend, to resume after Easter Sunday, on the week of April 6, Dizon said.
The Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX), with several provincial buses taking the Maharlika Highway, expects around 3 million passengers.
