On the EDSA rehabilitation

By any measure, EDSA is the lifeblood of Metro Manila’s road network — and simultaneously, one of its most painful chokepoints. Spanning approximately 23.8 kilometers, this crucial arterial road snakes through six major cities and carries an estimated 402,000 vehicles daily, far beyond its reported intended capacity of 240,000. For millions of commuters, traveling the full length of EDSA can take two to three agonizing hours during rush hour.

This isn’t just a matter of inconvenience. According to studies from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Philippines loses a staggering ₱P3.5 billion in economic productivity every day due to traffic congestion in Metro Manila — and EDSA is at the heart of this crisis.

Enter the EDSA Rehabilitation Project, a government initiative slated to begin in June 2025, with a price tag of P8 billion. Touted as a structural revamp, the project aims to fix deteriorating road surfaces, widen segments, and generally improve vehicular flow. But while the objective is commendable, the timing and approach are deeply troubling.

The rehabilitation may further constrict EDSA’s already bottlenecked capacity, triggering what many fear will be a “carmageddon” scenario. Public transportation — the lifeline for most Filipinos — is bound to suffer most. MRT-3, which runs along EDSA, is already overburdened. Buses will crawl even slower. And the proposed “odd-even” traffic scheme, designed to limit vehicles based on license plate numbers, reeks of inequity — penalizing car owners who don’t have the luxury of owning multiple vehicles.

Given this context, should we really be spending P8 billion on a road rehabilitation project that prioritizes cars over people? There are alternatives, and arguably, better uses for that budget.

One option is the long-proposed EDSA Greenways Walkway Project, which seeks to build elevated, shaded pedestrian pathways along EDSA. This people-centric plan promotes walking, accessibility, and even economic activity at the street level — and could be implemented for a similar or even lower cost.

Better yet, the funds could be redirected to the Metro Manila Subway project, the first of its kind in the country. A mass transit system like the subway is what a megacity of over 13 million people needs. For comparison, New York City, with a similar population density (Metro Manila: 20,785 persons/km² vs. NYC: ~10,194 persons/km²), sees its subway system transport over 3.6 million riders daily. The London Underground carries even more. A functioning subway system can move people faster, cleaner, and more equitably than any road widening ever could.

Several of our senators have rightly called for a review or postponement of the EDSA Rehabilitation Project. It makes sense. Why rush into a solution that may only add more pain when the more strategic choice is to wait, reassess, and invest in infrastructure that prioritizes people, not cars?

While I have the utmost respect for Secretary Vince Dizon, as he is one of the best secretaries we have right now, the EDSA Rehabilitation Project may deserve a deeper and more thorough review. In truth, the P8 billion isn’t just about concrete and asphalt. It’s about vision. Do we keep building for a car-centric future that’s already failed our Manila sojourners, or do we finally build a city for its people? It is not too late.