Business begs for gov’t action on traffic

The business community yesterday begged authorities to do something about the horrendous traffic in the metropolis which it estimated to cost ₱3.4 billion a day or ₱250 per person trip daily or 40 percent of the ₱600 daily minimum wage in Metro Manila.

In a statement, the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) has 10 recommendations for the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority stating their members are directly affected by the traffic congestion and employees of its members are crying for a solution.

Based on its computation, the daily cost of traffic congestion in 2019 is estimated to be ₱3.4 billion for 13.4 million person trips based on factors, such as the value of time lost due to delay, fuel costs, vehicle operating costs, health impact and greenhouse gas emission (or pollution). This translates to ₱250 per person trip per day which is around 40 percent of the ₱600 daily minimum wage in Metro Manila (MM).

Viewed in another way, MAP said the cost of rice in Metro Manila, as of November 21, 2019, ranged at the retail level from ₱27/kilo (regular milled) to ₱50/kilo (premium) or an average of around ₱35.

It further quoted an estimate from an international firm, which is a key player in the global supply chain, that transport costs account for 16 percent of total cost of a product that is moved from a manufacturing facility to a retail outlet.

Anecdotal evidence indicates that transport cost in Metro Manila accounts for 25 percent to 29 percent of the cost of a product – probably higher for rice as there are many costs involved from source in the provinces to retail in Metro Manila – perhaps as high as 40 percent.

Thus, a reduction of transport cost to even 25 percent (from 40%) would result in a 60 percent reduction in the cost of rice – from ₱35/ kilo to ₱14/kilo.

“An impossible dream? Perhaps but worth fighting for as one can imagine the increase in productivity, the improvement in the quality of life for the commuter while also bringing down the cost of food to a level accessible to many more persons,” said MAP.

With the MMDA calling for suggestions from the public, MAP has called for an honest-to-goodness enforcement to compel motorists, both public and private, to comply with the regulation, and fines for violations must be settled speedily.

It also urged MMDA to maximize (but regulate) the existing PUVs to move more commuters faster than at present, in the absence of an efficient mass transport system which is an absolute necessity to alleviate the MM traffic crisis.

It also urged MMDA to put more commuter transport vehicles on the road at the right time. The imperative is the efficient use of PUVs (PUBs and PUJs).