Manila's mobility mystery | The Manila Times

Read this in The Manila Times digital edition.

THE Philippines, particularly Metro Manila, was ranked as the country with the worst vehicular traffic in the world in 2023, according to an article published in the Gulf News in January 2024, which further claimed that Manila residents and visitors spent 240 hours on the road in the past year. Moreover, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), in 2017, reported that transport costs in Metro Manila alone were estimated to be P3.5 billion per day due to vehicular traffic. This is clearly alarming, considering that such a problem takes a substantial part of Filipinos' precious time and financial resources.

Currently, Metro Manila is deemed the most densely populated region in the Philippines, as the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reports that the population of Metro Manila was 13,484,462 in 2020. Furthermore, allproperties.com claimed that our condominium market has experienced a boom over the past two decades, with more than 158,000 units in Metro Manila alone as of 2022. A higher population density necessarily entails an increased demand for both residential and commercial spaces, as well as the need for mobility.