To help reduce traffic congestion, Quezon City Councilor Winston Castelo is urging business operators in the city to release the 13th month pay and Christmas bonuses of their workers this month, instead of releasing them in December.
Citing the Christmas season as the busiest time of the year, Castelo said: “If businessmen and business owners give their employees their 13th month pay and bonuses, say, a week before December, people can schedule their shopping earlier before traffic peaks in the three weeks leading to Christmas.”
“We can then prevent ‘carmageddon,’ a situation when traffic is at a virtual standstill as if it’s the end of the world,” he added.
The councilor said he made the proposal to enable people all over Metro Manila to shop early and avoid the perennial holiday rush, leading to congested streets.
The early release of workers’ benefits could help spread out the shopping days of people over a longer period and avoid a huge influx of people to the malls, most of which are located in Quezon City along Epifanio delos Santos Avenue and other major thoroughfares.
Castelo also appealed to mall owners to synchronize their sales with the early release of 13th month and bonuses to encourage people to shop early.
“To mitigate traffic, we should think of ways not only to provide more roads and reduce the number of vehicles on the road, but also to decrease foot traffic in busy places,” he said.
