Latest news with #EDSA
GMA Network
2 days ago
- Automotive
- GMA Network
DOLE urges employers to allow work-from-home setup amid EDSA rehab
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Friday suggested that employers consider adopting alternative work setups, such as working from home, as many workers will be affected by the rehabilitation of EDSA next month. According to Joseph Morong's report in '24 Oras' on Friday, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said EDSA is home to many business establishments, with nearly 50 malls on the stretch. 'Mutually beneficial po. Hindi po makakapinsila sa pagpapatuloy ng negosyo, pero matiyak din po na hindi rin mapipinsila ang ating mga mangagawa,' said DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma during an inter-agency meeting. (This will be mutually beneficial. It will not affect the businesses and at the same time we can make sure that workers will not be inconvenienced.) The Pasay and Guadalupe portions will be the first to be affected by the first wave of the rebuilding program that will begin on June 13. For its part, the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) said that alternative work arrangements may not be effective for some. 'Sana pabayaan yung mga kumpanya at yung mga tao nila na mag-usap, diskartehan nila, kanya-kanya,' said ECOP president Sergio Ortiz. (Let's leave it to the companies and their employees to decide on that.) ECOP also sought incentives for business establishments that would implement alternative work setups. The government earlier said that the rehabilitation on the major thoroughfare will go on full blast by July or August. Department of Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said that the DOTr will check if the odd-even coding scheme to be implemented during the rehabilitation period would be effective. The said vehicular scheme will have a dry run on June 16. On the other hand, transport groups said that the No Contact Apprehension Policy (NCAP) should have been implemented after the rehabilitation. Motorcycle taxi riders are complaining that the NCAP implementation has made their daily rides difficult. 'Mayroong reklamo sa akin na 'Sir, baka wedeng pakibilisan?' Sabi ko, 'Hindi tayo pwedeng dumaan diyan sa bike lane kasi bawal,'' said motorcycle taxi operator Paul Rosales. (Someone complained to me if I can go faster. I told him that we cannot use the bike lane.) 'Maganda ang layunin ng motorcycle lane, ang problema yung kalsada doon baku-bako,' said Kagulong Secretary General Don Pangan. (Motorcycle lanes are beneficial, however, the roads there are rough.) –Vince Angelo Ferreras/NB, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
4 days ago
- Business
- GMA Network
MPTC coordinating with DOTr for NLEX Connector toll holiday during EDSA rehab
Pangilinan-led Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) is now in discussion with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to implement a toll holiday at the eight-kilometer NLEX Connector. 'We are currently coordinating with DOTr,' MPTC president Jose Ma. Lim told GMA News Online. Lim was asked to confirm if MPTC is waiving toll at its NLEX Connector elevated expressway. Business tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan on Tuesday expressed intent to follow the lead of San Miguel Corp. (SMC) on imposing toll holiday in portions of Skyway Stage 3 while EDSA is undergoing a two-year rehabilitation. 'I think we also have a connector. Maybe we should do the same thing. I have to talk to our tollways to follow San Miguel's lead," Pangilinan said, referring to NLEX Connector. NLEX Connector is an eight-kilometer all-elevated highway built along the right of way of the Philippine National Railway (PNR), extending the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) from the end of its Harbor Link Segment 10 in C3/5th Avenue, Caloocan City, to Ramon Magsaysay Avenue in Sta. Mesa, Manila. Pangilinan's pronouncement came after Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said SMC will waive toll fees in select areas of the Skyway Stage 3 where vehicles will be detoured while the EDSA rehabilitation is ongoing, starting July or August. This will be implemented alongside a 24-hour odd-even number coding scheme limited to EDSA, with the dry run expected to start on June 16, and last for a month. The EDSA rehabilitation is projected to last until 2027, with the preparatory works set to begin on the evening of June 13, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). The government is also looking at deploying an additional 100 buses along the EDSA Busway, and additional car train sets on the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3) during the period. Apart from NLEX and NLEX Connector, MPTC also operates the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX), the Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway (CAVITEX), the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX), and the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX). —AOL, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
4 days ago
- Automotive
- GMA Network
MMDA releases list of alternative routes ahead of EDSA rehab
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Wednesday released a list of alternative routes ahead of the EDSA Rebuild Project set to start on June 13. In a Facebook post, the MMDA said the public may use the seven northbound and 15 southbound routes. It also urged the motorists to utilize the Mabuhay Lanes. Earlier, the MMDA announced the implementation of odd-even coding scheme on EDSA to mitigate the anticipated traffic amid the road repairs. The dry run for the odd-even number scheme will start on June 16 and will last for a month. It may be further extended, MMDA said. The EDSA rehabilitation project will be conducted by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in preparation for the upcoming Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit to be hosted by the Philippines in 2026. Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon clarified that the EDSA Busway will continue operations during the rehabilitation project. 'Hindi po magsasara ang EDSA Busway kahit nire-rehab ang EDSA,' Dizon said. (The EDSA Busway will not be closed even during the rehabilitation of EDSA.) "Kunwari may ginagawang portion ng EDSA, meron lang pong portion na siguro lalabas pero babalik din sa mga portion na hindi pa ginagawa o tapos na," he added. (If a portion of EDSA is undergoing roadwork, buses would most likely use the regular lane and then return to busway where there is still no roadwork or where the roadwork is already finished.) However, proposals to use the busway for emergencies are still under discussion. —Jiselle Anne Casucian/AOL, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
5 days ago
- Automotive
- GMA Network
MMDA clarifies: Odd-even scheme to replace number coding on EDSA
The odd-even scheme will replace the number coding scheme on EDSA when its rebuilding starts in June, the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) explained on Tuesday. MMDA Chairman Romando Artes issued the clarification after announcing Monday that beginning June 16, an odd-even scheme would be implemented exclusively on EDSA for a brief dry run. This means vehicles with license plates ending in odd numbers (1, 3, 5, 7, and 9) would not be allowed on the national thoroughfare on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, while vehicles with even-number license plates (ending in 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8) would be banned on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. EDSA and several other major roads in the National Capital Region currently use the Expanded Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP) or the number coding scheme, which bars vehicles from using the roads on one day depending on the last number on their license plates, except during window hours in most cities. Netizens complained that if the odd-even scheme is combined with the number coding program, many motorists would not be able to use EDSA four days out of the week. Artes said this would not be the case. ''Yung isang beses na lang nila magagamit 'yung sasakyan nila sa EDSA? Hindi po ganun. Hindi siya on top, it will replace. So sa EDSA, ang magru-rule na d'yan, 'yung odd-even. On other roads, 'yung regular na number coding,' Artes told GMA Integrated News. (The idea that they would only be able to use their vehicle on one day on EDSA? It won't be like that. It won't be on top of the number coding, it will replace it. So on EDSA, the odd-even scheme will prevail. On other roads, the regular number coding is still in place.) Artes also said that the MMDA has extended the program's dry run to one month to sync with the Department of Transportation's proposal to waive toll fees on certain segments of the Skyway in July when the rebuilding would be in full swing. He added that this would also allow them to collect data to study to determine whether window hours on EDSA would be feasible. 'Pag nakita po natin na pag 10 p.m. na lumuluwag na, baka pwede tayong mag-window ng 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.,' he said. (If we see that traffic starts lightening at 10 p.m., we might implement window hours of 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.) Exempted from the odd even scheme are hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, and transport network service vehicles (TNVS)—as well as motorcycles, whether private or with ride-hailing companies. MMDA has issued rerouting plans when EDSA begins rebuilding @gmanews @24OrasGMA — Joseph Morong ???????? (@Joseph_Morong) May 27, 2025 The MMDA has also released traffic rerouting schemes. The EDSA rebuilding will start on June 13 and is expected to be finished in 2027. But Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan said they would endeavor to finish the EDSA bus lane by the end of the year given that it caters to thousands of commuters daily. — BM, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
5 days ago
- Business
- GMA Network
Extended concession deal with SMC eyed amid free Skyway toll due to EDSA rehab
The Department of Transportation said Tuesday the government is eyeing to extend the concession agreement of San Miguel Corporation (SMC) on Skyway Stage 3 amid the upcoming implementation of toll holiday in some segments of the expressway due to the EDSA rehabilitation program. Facing the Senate public services committee, Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said this is one of the options they are discussing with the Ramon Ang-led company to provide 'reprieve' to SMC as the Skyway Stage 3 will serve as an alternate route for motorists that are barred to ply through EDSA. 'One option that we're looking at is to extend the concession term of the operator para hindi naman po mabibigatan ang San Miguel dahil mayroon naman pong reprieve sa kanya. At the same time, wala pong kailangang ilabas na pondo ang gobyerno in terms of subsidy,' Dizon said. (One option that we're looking at is to extend the concession term of the operator to give reprieve to San Miguel and at the same time, there would be no subsidies that the government will shoulder.) San Miguel Holdings Corporation Assistant Vice President and Corporate Affairs Head Melissa Encanto-Tagarda said that they are just 'ironing the details with the DOTr' regarding the proposed extension of the concession agreement. 'We're open to the remedies that can be done like what Sec. Vince said, extending the concession agreement for as long as its fair to San Miguel since PPP (Public-Private Partnership) kami meron kaming in-invest (we also invested) into that project. But we're ironing out the details with DOTR so we could make it easy for everyone especially for the commuter,' she said. Asked if there would be increase in toll so SMC could gain its revenue losses due to the toll holiday, Dizon said there will be none. 'Hindi nag-agree ang Pangulo d'yan,' Dizon said, referring to President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. (The President did not agree to that.) 'Kaya nga po ang gagawin natin dito ay walang increases…apart from the regular [scheduled] increases,' he said. (That's why we made sure that there will be no increases apart from the regular scheduled hike in toll fees.) On Monday, the DOTr announced that parts of Skyway Stage 3 will waive the toll so motorists could use it as an alternate route amid the implementation of the odd-even scheme on EDSA during the rehabilitation. The dry run for the odd-even scheme on EDSA will start on June 16 and will last for a month but the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said it may further be extended. The rehabilitation of EDSA is expected to last until 2027, with its preparatory works set to begin on the night of June 13, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).—AOL, GMA Integrated News
