President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. rejected an original plan that would practically shut down Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) during a two-year rehabilitation period, saying that modern construction technology must be employed if the government is to go ahead with the project.
In his latest podcast, aired Friday, he described the prolonged disruption as “unacceptable” and would inevitably cause “a form of suffering” for the commuting public.
Mr. Marcos expressed deep concern over the impact the closure would have on daily commuters, many of whom already endure long hours in traffic to get to work.
“Two years of suffering. You can’t do that to a person,” the President said.
“I can’t get it out of my head, you’re in a car, on EDSA, you see that at midnight, the line is still long, waiting for a bus. Then, when that person gets home, they’ll wake up at four in the morning. They’ll wait for a bus again to get to work by seven or eight,” he added.
Calling for a complete review of the rehabilitation plan, Mr. Marcos emphasized the need to utilize modern technology that could accelerate the process without closing the capital’s busiest highway for such a prolonged period.
“Surely there are new systems there that we don’t need to shut down, or if what we’re going to do won’t take two years,” he said.
“So I said, let’s stop for now. Let’s think about it carefully. Let’s look for new technology. There are new technologies,” he added.
The President said he was “very happy” with the decision to delay the project, adding, “Looks like it can be done in less than two years.”
Earlier this week, Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said it may be possible to complete the project, billed, EDSA Rebuild, in six months if a contractor experienced in the latest construction technologies is tapped.
He pointed out that promising proposals may have already been put forward since the President gave the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) a month to rethink the planned rebuilding of the nation’s busiest thoroughfare.
“As far as I know, the DPWH is gathering proposals from various contractors, both domestic and foreign. This is because the President’s instructions are simple, two years is too long. It’s too much of an inconvenience to the public,” he said in Filipino.
“I have seen proposals from various groups that indicate that it [6-month deadline] is feasible. We have to choose new technologies. The conventional way of doing things will not do,” he added.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Marcos: 2-year EDSA closure for repairs ‘unacceptable’.”
