Saturday, June 14, 2025

No urgency in EDSA rehabilitation — business

While the business community agree to the rehabilitation of EDSA, a major highway that connects south and north of Metro Manila, they do not see the urgency of the project’s full implementation citing the monstrous traffic jam and inconvenience it will certainly cause in the metropolis.

Business groups – Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), Philippine Exporters Confederation (PhilExport), and the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) – lauded the President’s call for suspension and review of the EDSA rebuild project.

“The call of President Marcos to suspend the EDSA rehab is a good decision because there is no urgency to the full EDSA rehabilitation, we cannot do this one time, but sections,” said Sergio Ortiz-Luis, Jr., president of Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) and Philippine Exporters Confederation (PhilExport).

“Why fix something that is not broken, although there is a need to refurbish EDSA, but not an entire overhaul because that will cause huge inconvenience to the people,” he pointed out.

Ortiz-Luis said that government should instead wait for the developments in other modes of transport like the LRT, MRT, ferry and the Metro Manila Subway before a thorough EDSA rebuild is implemented.

“The most important section that needs the utmost attention is the Guadalupe bridge because of some safety issues, the road repairs can wait,” he added.

PCCI President Eunina Mangio said the business sector needs to have some preparation and alternative action to ensure minimal impact of the traffic challenge. “The workers mobility will be greatly affected so businesses should be able to make adjustments on how to ease the burden from the employees,” said Mangio.

She said that PBBM’s decision to defer the Edsa Rehab will ensure that all preparations would be in place before starting to mitigate traffic flow and lessen the burden to the commuters.

MAP also issued a statement supporting a phased implementation of EDSA. While MAP said that the rehabilitation of EDSA is already “long overdue and needed,” it heeded the call of the President for review of the project and expressed appreciation that EDSA has been given focused attention.

MAP President Alfredo S. Panlilio and MAP transportation and infrastructure committee chairman Eduardo H. Yap signed the statement.

On Sunday, June 1, 2025, President Marcos ordered the suspension of the EDSA project in consideration of the huge inconvenience it may cause in Metro Manila and to pave the way for a month-long review that will incorporate new technologies to speed up EDSA’s rebuild.

The President noted that new technologies not previously considered during the planning may significantly reduce the time required to complete the EDSA rehabilitation project.

The PHP8.7-billion rehabilitation of the 23.8-kilometer EDSA from Pasay City in the southern part of Metro Manila to Caloocan City in the northern part, was set to begin on June 13 and expected to be completed by 2027. It is the longest highway connecting the south and north of the metropolis.

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