The Interagency Council for Traffic I-ACT on Monday appealed to local government units to prepare a more efficient traffic management system to address problems concerning parking and free flow in time for the observance of All Saints’ Day, when the high volume of vehicles is expected.
“In this moment of remembrance, let’s make mobility easy for people. National agencies can do its part but the local government holds more accountability as they are more familiar with the situation in their specific areas of responsibility,” said I-ACT chief Thomas Orbos.
Orbos also emphasized the need to clear the roads leading to the cemeteries of obstructions to pedestrian and vehicular traffic.
“Undas is all about people, not motorists, flocking to cemeteries to be with their departed loved ones. Therefore, our actions should be directed in bringing utmost safety and comfort to them,” he added.
Undas, or All Saints’ Day (Nov. 1) and All Souls’ Day (Nov. 2), is one of the most attended Philippine holidays where Filipinos visit their deceased loved ones.
This year, Undas falls on a Thursday and Friday, resulting in a longer weekend for Filipino families. Heavy traffic is expected to be one of the effects of this holiday.
I-ACT is composed of the Department of Transportation, Land Transportation Office, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Metro Manila Development Authority, traffic divisions from local government units, and the Liga ng mga Barangay ng Pilipinas.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the National Telecommunications Commission are also active participants of the Council in order to sustain intensive operations.
Efforts have been put in place even a month before Undas.
The HPG is being mobilized to ensure the security of our roads.
On the week of Undas, Teams Alpha and Bravo from the I-ACT National Office will be manning the traffic flow on major cemeteries in the North and South of Metro Manila.
Orbos is also encouraging Filipinos towards maximizing their transportation through high-occupancy vehicles that will bring more people using less cars.
Government agencies are now preparing measures aimed to ensure the safety and convenience of the people going to and coming from provinces for the traditional observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.
The MMDA is set to intensify its clean-up drive in selected public and private cemeteries and memorial parks in the metropolis.
MMDA personnel composed of traffic enforcers and augmentation teams will be deployed in line with the government’s “Oplan Undas 2018 program.
Aside from the clean-up operations, the Road Emergency Group will set-up tents to serve as public assistance centers with ambulances on standby in Manila North and South Cemeteries, Loyola Memorial Park in Marikina City and San Juan Public Cemetery for any medical emergency that may occur.”‹