The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) recommended adjusting the working hours of national government agencies (NGAs) to 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. — one hour earlier than usual — to ease traffic congestion.
In a statement on Thursday, the agency said it will seek President Marcos’ approval for the work schedule adjustment, whose target implementation would be sometime in March, coinciding the start of EDSA’s rehabilitation.
The agency said insights gleaned from a survey conducted on local government units that adopted the 7 a.m. – 4 p.m. work schedule indicates that such revised office hours would result in reduced traffic congestion.
The report stated that adopting the schedule will bring faster travel time during peak hours in Metro Manila’s major thoroughfares, as well as decrease in traffic delays, the MMDA said.
“NGA employees using private vehicles during peak hours will be distributed by 37.15% of the 473,533 employees,” the agency said.
“Further, 47.20% of the total number of NGA employees, or an estimate of 223,508 employees using public transport, will avoid joining rush hour alongside private sector employees,” it added.
MMDA chairman Don Artes said he would formally send his recommendation to the Office of the President after getting consensus from the Metro Manila LGUs on their experiences with the modified working hours.
“We’ll get first the consensus of the mayors. We’ll coordinate with them and ask them what their preference is so that the data we’ll be submitting to the President is complete and the recommendations will be in line with various experiences of each of the LGUs,” he said in a press briefing.
Artes noted that San Juan City mayor and MMC President Francis Zamora, as well as Pasay City mayor Emi Calixto-Rubiano both expressed their support for the 7 a.m. – 4 p.m. work schedule.
Last week, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said the scheduled EDSA rehabilitation will aggravate traffic in the metropolis’ already congested roads.
“For sure, there will be heavy traffic there [along EDSA]. So, we are expecting that many people will take the MRT, because won’t be as much affected by this rehabilitation, the Secretary said during a televised news forum.
Bautista said the operations of the EDSA busway will likely continue, as repairs will be concentrated on the side used by private vehicles.