Gridlock by tradition?

As October draws to a close, Metro Manila is once again bracing for the annual exodus of millions toward cemeteries, columbariums and provincial transport hubs.

True to form, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and local government units have rolled out their usual heavy deployments, traffic rerouting schemes and safety advisories.

Because Undas 2026 coincides with preparations for the 49th ASEAN Summit, authorities have placed a temporary suspension on public event permits (motorcades, fun runs, processions) from 24 October to 20 November in Manila, Pasay, Parañaque, Makati and Taguig, according to a government advisory.

Yet, as we steel ourselves for the inevitable gridlock of Undas (this year running from 24 October to 3 November), a familiar frustration lingers: Why does every national holiday feel like an emergency test of our infrastructure rather than a managed, orderly event?

Traffic planning during peak seasons often devolves into a reactive scramble.

We treat the massive surge of travelers visiting departed loved ones as an unpredictable catastrophe, when in truth, the calendar marks its return with absolute certainty every single year.

The perennial chaos at transport terminals, highway bottlenecks and cemetery corridors is merely a magnified reflection of our chronic urban planning deficiencies. It exposes the fragility of our public spaces, the severe strain on our mass transit networks and a deep-seated resistance to disciplined urban behavior.

To treat Undas — or any major holiday exodus — solely as a traffic management problem is a fundamental mistake. It is, at its core, a test of civic discipline and anticipatory governance.

Local executives and national agencies cannot rely forever on band-aid deployments of traffic enforcers and last-minute public service announcements. What our urban centers desperately require is a systemic shift toward proactive planning.

This means expanding pedestrianized accessibility around major cultural and religious hubs, enforcing strict accountability on public utility vehicle operators and institutionalizing decentralized transport hubs that prevent choke points before they form.

Furthermore, municipal governments must coordinate closely with the private sector to stagger work hours and encourage remote arrangements ahead of major holidays, effectively flattening the curve of human movement.

At the same time, the burden does not rest solely on the state. The recurring disregard for basic road courtesy, the blatant littering in public spaces and the breakdown of queue discipline during these mass movements reveal a broader erosion of shared civic responsibility.

Order cannot be legislated entirely by enforcers on the street corner; it must be practiced collectively by a public that is weary of disorder yet sometimes hesitant to change everyday habits. Public accountability must mirror governmental reform.

As the week begins and we ready ourselves for the solemn, deeply cherished traditions of honoring our dead, let us look far beyond the immediate traffic advisories flashing on our screens. Let this week’s exodus serve as a sobering wake-up call for our policymakers, urban planners and citizens alike.

If our cities cannot manage a predictable, recurring national tradition with grace, institutional foresight and systemic efficiency, we risk remaining trapped in a perpetual cycle of gridlock — both on our physical roads and in our collective national progress.

True progress requires us to build cities that respect human dignity, time and safety not just during holidays, but on every ordinary day of the year.