IN Pasay City today, August 16, Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go said that he spoke to the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and is open to amending the High Occupancy Vehicle Lanes (HOVL) traffic scheme on EDSA after receiving mixed reactions during its dry run, which began yesterday.
In an interview, Go said MMDA Chairman Danilo Lim has confirmed with him that feedback from the public on the HOVL project will be reviewed by the Metro Manila Council, which is composed of 17 mayors in Metro Manila.
“Pag-uusapan po ito ng Metro Manila Council (The Metro Manila Council will still have to discuss this),” he said. Lim said that the full implementation of the HOVL scheme has been set for August 23 and that no fines will be imposed in the meantime.
Go said he trusts that the members of Metro Manila Council will be able to arrive at an acceptable decision on the HOVL since they are the ones who know best about the situation on EDSA. At the same time, he emphasized that the HOVL scheme is still in the testing stage.
“Kung makakatulong naman po sa pag-solve ng trapiko sa Metro Manila, okay lang po. Kaya nga may dry run tayo eh, susubukan muna kung makakatulong ba, kung makakaluwag ba sa trapiko. Kung hindi naman po, pwede namang baguhin ito,” he said. (If it will help solve the traffic problem in Metro Manila then it is okay. That is why we’re having a dry run: we’ll see first if it will really help, if it would ease traffic. If not, then we can improve it.)
Go also confirmed that MMDA is asking for an audience with the President to present their plans on how to resolve the traffic situation in Metro Manila. He reiterated that the Duterte government is taking this matter seriously and the convenience and welfare of the general public is of utmost importance.
Go added, “Pagdating sa mga regulasyon na ganito, sinisikap namin palagi na gawin kung ano ang mas makakabuti sa nakararami.”