{"id":236203,"date":"2019-10-31T21:11:16","date_gmt":"2019-11-01T01:11:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=236203"},"modified":"2019-10-31T21:11:16","modified_gmt":"2019-11-01T01:11:16","slug":"wazes-review-of-manilas-traffic-condition-a-waste-palace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2019\/10\/31\/wazes-review-of-manilas-traffic-condition-a-waste-palace\/","title":{"rendered":"Waze\u2019s review of Manila\u2019s traffic condition \u2018a waste\u2019: Palace"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Panelo said Waze should also take into consideration the traffic problems in other countries, before arriving at a conclusion that Metro Manila has the worst traffic condition all over the world. (File photo<\/a>: Chris Griffin\/Flickr<\/a>, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

MANILA\u00a0— It was a \u201cwaste\u201d for traffic navigation application Waze to assess Metro Manila as the world\u2019s \u201cworst city\u201d for motorists, Malaca\u00f1ang said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

In a chance interview with Palace reporters, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo shrugged off the assessment of Waze, which he claimed is not a reliable application when it comes to route details.<\/p>\n

\u201cKung minsan naman, \u2018yung<\/em>\u00a0Waze, it\u2019s almost a waste. When I use it, lalo\u00a0akong napatagal. Mas marunong pa ako sa<\/em>\u00a0Waze\u00a0sa mga lugar<\/em>\u00a0(Sometimes, Waze is almost a waste. When I use it, it takes me longer to arrive in my destination. I have more knowledge of driving directions than Waze),\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

It took 4.9 minutes to drive one kilometer in the Philippine capital, according to Waze\u2019s September 2019 data published in a report by Bloomberg.<\/p>\n

Waze Philippines head Sarah Rodriguez, in an interview with Bloomberg, said Metro Manila will most likely hold the title of the world\u2019s worst city to drive in for the second consecutive year, based on its 2019 ranking.<\/p>\n

Waze\u2019s review came amid the public\u2019s renewed calls for President Rodrigo Duterte\u2019s administration to provide solutions to the country\u2019s traffic woes.<\/p>\n

Panelo said Waze should also take into consideration the traffic problems in other countries, before arriving at a conclusion that Metro Manila has the worst traffic condition all over the world.<\/p>\n

\u201dBefore you can say that, you have to go to other countries that are listed to be worst traffic countries para (so) you can compare. Otherwise, (the claim about Metro Manila\u2019s traffic situation is not true),\u201d he said, when asked if the Palace attests that there is truth to Waze\u2019s report.<\/p>\n

No choice but endure traffic jams<\/strong><\/p>\n

Shortly after taking a four-hour commute challenge on October 11, Panelo denied that there is a \u201cmass transport crisis\u201d but admitted that there is a \u201ctraffic crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his latest remarks, the Palace official said motorists and riders have \u201cno choice\u201d but to bear the brunt of traffic chaos in Metro Manila.<\/p>\n

He also reiterated that the public must be \u201ccreative\u201d to survive the congested traffic in the country\u2019s metropolis.<\/p>\n

\u201cEh talaga naman, \u2018di ba lahat tayo nagre-reklamo sa<\/em>\u00a0traffic situation.\u00a0Hindi tayo nakakarating sa oras,<\/em>\u00a0unless\u00a0mag-<\/em>allot\u00a0tayo ng allowance ng<\/em>\u00a0two to three hours (All of us are really complaining about the traffic situation. We would not be able to arrive on time, unless we allot an allowance of two to three hours to travel),\u201d Panelo said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAng hirap sumakay ng mga ordinaryong tao. Nakikita nating may mga pumipila. Kumbaga wala kang<\/em>\u00a0choice\u00a0kasi kung\u2026 May choice ka ba kung nahihirapan kang sumakay<\/em>\u00a0(Ordinary people find it difficult to commute. They have to endure the long lines. Meaning, you have no choice. Do you have a choice when you find it difficult to take a public transportation)?\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Infra projects to ease traffic congestion<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Duterte administration has assured the public that its ambitious \u201cBuild, Build, Build\u201d infrastructure program would help address the perennial problems of traffic jams in Metro Manila.<\/p>\n

In June this year, the President vowed to secure a five-minute travel time between Cubao and Makati for commuters and drivers by yearend.<\/p>\n

Panelo said the completion of the current administration\u2019s infrastructure projects would decongest traffic in the country\u2019s capital.<\/p>\n

\u201cAba, kung gawa na ang mga<\/em>\u00a0project\u00a0natin, malaking kainaman<\/em>\u00a0(If our projects are completed, it would be of big help),\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Panelo, explained that Duterte\u2019s promise of shorter travel time between Cubao and Makati by end of December is premised on the completion of all infrastructure projects.<\/p>\n

\u201cSyempre \u2018yung sinabi niya<\/em>\u00a0on the assumption\u00a0na \u2018yung mga<\/em>\u00a0project\u00a0matatapos<\/em>\u00a0on time (Of course, his statement is based on the assumption that the projects will be done on time),\u201d he said, when pressed if the President\u2019s pledge is attainable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MANILA\u00a0— It was a \u201cwaste\u201d for traffic navigation application Waze to assess Metro Manila as the world\u2019s \u201cworst city\u201d for …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":236204,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,95],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-236203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","category-news-ph","mauthors-ruth-abbey-gita-carlos","mauthors-philippine-news-agency"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236203","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=236203"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236203\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":236205,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236203\/revisions\/236205"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/236204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=236203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=236203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=236203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}