A shift from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. working hours for government workers may take effect soon once a recommendation by the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is approved by mayors in the National Capital Region.
The move is one of the solutions being proposed by the MMDA to ease traffic congestion and speed up travel time in the metropolis during peak hours, especially along EDSA.
In a press briefing after a meeting with the Metro Manila Council in Pasig City on Thursday, MMDA chairman Romando Artes said the MMDA would submit its recommendation to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. once it gets the consensus of Metro Manila’s 17 mayors on the proposed working hours shift.
“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 local government units,” Artes said.
Affected by the policy are 175,918 government employees who use their own vehicles.
However, an additional 47.20 percent or 223,508 government workers who use public transportation will avoid joining the usual rush hour after the implementation of the policy, the MMDA stressed.
Earlier, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) had announced it would begin this year rehab work on the entire EDSA, making the traffic situation worst in the area.
“The President wants to improve the riding quality along EDSA once the DPWH starts its rehabilitation work,” Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan said. (WILMA N. YAMZON)
