EDITORIAL - Reactive government

After the government announced that portions of the Andaya Highway through the Bicol Region had been reopened to vehicular traffic, a common reaction was why it had not happened sooner. Or at least before the holiday travel rush, which has been an annual occurrence except during the COVID lockdowns.

There is no excuse for lack of foresight on the impact of the highway closure – partial and, on some road stretches, complete – on the regular traffic buildup for the Christmas holiday break. This period is one of the two peak travel seasons of the year, the other being the Holy Week break during the dry season.

The Andaya Highway was reportedly damaged by heavy rainfall and flooding, particularly by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine, which devastated the Camarines provinces in late October. The severe flooding spawned by Kristine took the region by surprise. But authorities should not have been caught by surprise by the surge in vehicular traffic along the highway at this time of the year.

Travel outside the Greater Manila area is part of the annual ritual during the Christmas holidays, so the government should have gone on emergency mode to speed up repairs along a highway that sees heavy vehicular traffic even during ordinary days. In Metro Manila, preparations for the Christmas traffic crush are planned weeks in advance, with multiple agencies coordinating with the private sector particularly shopping mall operators to ease the anticipated road congestion. Often, the measures still aren’t enough in the few days before Christmas.

In the case of Andaya Highway, even motorist assistance for alternate routes was lacking, according to those who stewed on the road for hours on end last week. There were also complaints about the lack of personnel even from the barangays to prevent motorists from driving counterflow, which aggravated the traffic jam.

Amid reports of public complaints and of much delayed deliveries and departure of provincial buses from the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange, the Department of Public Works and Highways finally realized the urgency of the situation and fast-tracked the interventions that would allow the opening of more sections of the highway. The Land Transportation Office and Philippine National Police, meanwhile, fielded personnel to direct traffic and assist motorists.

As of yesterday, traffic flow along the highway had significantly improved, according to the agencies. It should provide a lesson to the government in avoiding reactive responses. With a bit of foresight and proactive stance, that monumental traffic jam could have been much less worse, if not avoided.