President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wants to have a comprehensive strategy to address the longstanding problem of traffic congestion in the Philippines, the country's socioeconomic planner said on Thursday.

In a Palace briefing, National Economic and Development Authority Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said the directive from the President came during the 16th Cabinet meeting in Malacañang on Wednesday.

"(W)e had a very long discussion on the traffic issue and the President gave instruction to everyone to submit their recommendations, how their respective offices will adjust and configure their work environment," Balisacan said.

He emphasized the need for a departure from the fragmented approach that has characterized previous attempts to alleviate traffic congestion, several studies showed that traffic-related issues in the country leads to around P3.5 billion in losses per day.

"What the President really wants is a comprehensive, holistic approach to solving the traffic problem – not the piecemeal approach as has been the case all these years," Balisacan said.

"For example, in the planning of our transport system, we should be looking at an intermodal transport system and see how they operate efficiently as a whole," Balisacan added.

Balisacan underscored the significance of integrating various modes of transportation seamlessly into the urban landscape, including the ongoing development of infrastructure such as subways, expressways, and bridges.

However, the socioeconomic chief said these factors have to be seen in the context of all the other transport systems including bike lanes, motorcycle lanes, feeder roads, location of industries, residences, and the like.

"The whole system, it cannot be just seen as piecemeal. Because if there's a chokepoint in one, it affects the whole system, that’s why we really look at it as a system – and that’s the direction of the President," Balisacan said.