Cubao, Quiapo next on clearing list

GOING HOME FOR THE HOLIDAY / DECEMBER 23, 2015
Passengers wait in line for hours at the Araneta Bus Station in Cubao, Quezon City on December 23, 2015 hoping to get a bus ride home in time for Christmas day.
INQUIRER PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

After conducting clearing operations on the Baclaran service road in Parañaque City in April, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) officer in charge Tim Orbos said other congested areas in the metropolis would be next.

“The template calls for no demolition, no hostility, but we will be enforcing the laws, coordinating with local officials and asking for cooperation from stakeholders, particularly local transport groups and market vendors. The aim of the program is sustainability,” Orbos said in a statement on Sunday.

Next on the MMDA’s list are Balintawak and Cubao in Quezon City, and Quiapo in Manila.

Orbos also mentioned Guadalupe in Makati City and the stretch of Taft Avenue, including Divisoria and Radial Road 10 in Manila.

Displaced sidewalk vendors would be relocated to an area where they would not hamper traffic flow, he said, adding that they would also undergo skills training for alternative sources of livelihood courtesy of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

“We conducted a thorough preparation. We studied the place, its history and social impact. The next challenge is to make it livable and sustainable. There’s a reason why sidewalk vendors proliferate and that should be addressed,” Orbos said.

Orbos, however, took a tougher stance against illegal terminals. “It’s in the law. You should have a terminal before you obtain a franchise,” he said as he urged public utility vehicles to use the interim southwest terminal.

He added that the drive against sidewalk vendors and illegally parked vehicles would continue since President Duterte issued a directive to ease traffic on Roxas Boulevard.

The master plan for the Roxas Boulevard service road expansion will open up an additional 6.8 kilometers of roadways to vehicular traffic. – Erika Sauler