Reporting Metro Manila’s long-term traffic solutions: Media drops the ball

Photo by Lito Ocampo

IN EARLY September, the government presented what it called an “action plan” meant to solve the traffic problems in Metro Manila. The plan had three approaches: 1) management and enforcement, 2) mass transit, and 3) engineering solutions.

In reporting on the “action plan,” however, the media focused on the first approach, the assignment of traffic enforcement on EDSA to the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) which took over from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on September 7. The takeover took the bulk of the coverage of the three newspapers (the Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Philippine Star and the Manila Bulletin) and three television networks (ABS-CBN 2’s TV Patrol, GMA 7’s 24 Oras and TV5’s Aksyon) CMFR monitored that week. Aside from the PNP-HPG takeover, the media also reported on the clearing operations of Balintawak and Muñoz from vendors and other obstructions that contributed to the congestion on EDSA.

Given the severity of the problem and, before all this, the paucity of workable solutions, one would think that the media would watch in earnest the enforcement of the “action plan.” That was not the case. The media, which had been quite critical of the government’s supposed inaction or adequate action to solve the traffic mess, gave the “action plan” short shrift, choosing instead to highlight — in the case of new drainage systems being built, for example — how some actions were making traffic worse rather than solving them.

ABS-CBN News Channel‘s Talkback with Tina Monzon-Palma was the one exemption. Over a month after the government’s announcement of the “action plan,” the show invited as guests Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Rogelio Singson on October 27 to talk about the progress of the metro-wide traffic scheme. The program raised several points that the media had failed to cover or discuss thoroughly, information that could have helped the public understand the government’s long-term plans to address traffic.

Talkback raised points that had been recommended earlier by the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP). These included:

• Appoint a “traffic czar” to show who is in charge and take overall charge of all matters related to or affecting traffic and road management
• Assign and deputize a specially trained Highway Patrol Group within the Philippine National Police to enforce traffic rules
• Direct the “traffic czar” to introduce road engineering refinements such as bus lane delineators on EDSA and other major national roads to increase their efficiency and optimize limited road space
• Fast-track the upgrade and capacity expansion of the MRT3
• Upgrade into expressways the existing major national roads
• Improve the resiliency of all national major and radial roads against floods
• Direct the use of fast construction methods to eliminate traffic-disrupting intersections on major roads
• Direct a campaign for private vehicle high occupancy practices

Singson’s interview provided the framework on the long-term solutions taken by the government to solve the traffic problem, especially in engineering. He pointed out the ongoing infrastructure projects, including the construction of the NAIA Expressway, Skyway 3 and the LRT 2 extensions. The DPWH secretary admitted that these projects are contributing to the Metro Manila traffic but once finished, he said, these projects will provide alternative routes especially to provincial vehicles that currently traverse EDSA. The Metro Manila Skyway, for instance, is a 14.82-kilometer elevated expressway from Buendia to Balintawak. It aims to decongest EDSA and ease traffic in major roads including Araneta Avenue and Quezon Avenue. The Skyway also provides fast access to eight interchanges including Aurora Boulevard, Balintawak, Buendia, E. Rodriguez Avenue, Nagtahan, Quirino Avenue and Sgt. Rivera.

In the context of the Talkback interview, CMFR reviewed the coverage of the same newspapers and television networks from Sept. 7 to Oct. 27, 2015.

While the media had several reports on these projects, they made no sustained attempt to monitor enforcement of the “action plan.” The Bulletin, which published these recommendations in the business section of the paper on September 4 (“Business groups foreign chambers support MAPS traffic solutions,” September 4), failed to follow-up on its own report, specifically on how the government was implementing MAP’s suggestions. Much of what came out in the news afterward were derived from press conferences or announcements. The government plan noted the need for a comprehensive approach, not just one solution. This, however, the media seemed to have ignored.

On September 14, MMDA announced after a meeting with DM Consunji Inc. (DMCI) that major infrastructure projects including the NAIA Expressway, Skyway 3, LRT 2 extensions would be delayed. DMCI is the projects’ contractor. Then MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino said the construction would contribute to Metro Manila traffic. Tolentino even suggested a four-day work week as a solution. But without his announcement, the public would not have known about this. The media, it would seem, dropped the ball on reporting on these infrastructure updates even though the information and data are readily available on the DPWH website and checking in with the MMDA would take no more than a quick phone call.

Other engineering solutions pointed in the Talkback interview were the use of what the DPWH called delineators to separate public and private vehicles, as well as the upgrade of the drainage system. The media did report on the drainage system upgrades but the reports were in the context of how it contributed to the traffic rather than assuring the public that this was a necessary thing to do to eventually solve the problem. Short-term traffic solutions — like the opening of the “Mabuhay Lanes,” which are special routes all over Metro Manila to deal with the Christmas rush – were tackled, to be sure, but these only underscored the lack of reportage on the long-term solutions.

Traffic reports are part of the regular news, especially on television, but these are usually limited to traffic updates, with live feeds from major roads including EDSA and C5 and the occasional fender-bender that choke these thoroughfares. The public can only hope that the press would go deeper into the traffic issue by tackling in a more substantive and informative manner the long-term solutions designed precisely to ease their suffering.

Editor’s Note: Tina Monzon-Palma is a member of the CMFR board.