MANILA — Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go on Thursday said the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is open to amending the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) traffic scheme after receiving mixed reactions during its dry-run on EDSA this week.
In an interview, Go said MMDA Chairman Danilo Lim has confirmed to him that feedback from the public on the HOV scheme will be reviewed by the Metro Manila Council (MMC), 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.
He said the full implementation of the HOV scheme will start on August 23 and in the meantime, no fine will be imposed on violators.
Go said he trusts that the members of MMC, the policy-making body of the MMDA, will be able to arrive at an acceptable decision on the HOV since they are the ones who know the situation on EDSA best.
At the same time, he said, the HOV 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 Duterte to present their plans on how to improve the traffic situation in Metro Manila.
He reiterated that government is taking this matter seriously and the convenience and welfare of the general public is of utmost importance.
“Pagdating sa mga regulasyon na ganito, sinisikap namin palagi na gawin kung ano ang mas makakabuti sa nakararami (Regarding regulations such as this, we always try to do what is best for the majority),” he added. (OSAP PR/PNA)
