OPINION
Ed Javier
Why EDSA Needs Brains, Not Just Cement
Photo credit: MMDA
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was right to call for a rethinking of the two-year EDSA rehabilitation plan. It shows that Malacañang is aware of public apprehension.
But let’s be clear: no matter how well-intentioned or well-executed, six months or even two years, of roadwork on EDSA will not solve Metro Manila’s traffic problem.
It might make the roads smoother, sure. But smoother roads do not reduce congestion.
The EDSA rehab, as proposed, would disrupt daily commutes for millions. In the end, what’s the output?
A better road for private vehicles? A few minutes saved, until the next bottleneck down the line?
If this is the flagship urban mobility project of the Marcos Jr. administration, it’s woefully underwhelming.
We need solutions that address the core issue: our cities are designed for cars, not people.
That’s why traffic is relentless. . That’s why a “smoother” EDSA is an illusion of progress.
MASS TRANSIT AND BBM BRIDGE PROGRAM
Mr. President, if you truly want to fix traffic and leave behind an infrastructure legacy, then go all-in on mass transport.
Speed up the North-South Commuter Railway, Metro Manila Subway and the Makati Subway.
These are game-changing projects already in the pipeline. Fund them properly. Shield them from politics.
Turn the Makati Subway into a national project. If the Taguig-Makati boundary row is causing delays, resolve it by declaring the project a national priority.
Accelerate right-of-way acquisition. Too many transport, road and bridge projects are stuck because we tiptoe around ROW issues.
Exercise full authority. Compensate fairly. But move forward. That’s leadership.
Build more bridges across the Pasig River. Guadalupe Bridge rehab? Good. But where are the new crossings? Connect Makati to Manila, Taguig to Pasig and Taytay, Mandaluyong to Pateros. Expand east-west mobility, not just north-south.
Consider launching a BBM Bridge Program, a national initiative to systematically address Metro Manila’s severe deficiency in east-west crossings. Make it a presidential banner project. It’s doable. It’s visible and it’s badly needed.
Revive the Pasig River ferry service. You want a cheap, low-carbon transport option? It’s right there. With the right planning, investment and integration, ferry transport can be viable again.
Activate C6 with bridges, connectors and flyovers. Why is it still underutilized? C6 could be a powerful alternative to EDSA if linked properly to city centers.
Shift to a car-less urban policy. Restrict private car use in key business districts. Expand walkable zones. Launch Bus Rapid Transit lines. Make it easier to live without a car.
BUILD BETTER MORE, WHERE ARE THEY?
Your administration’s battle cry was “Build Better More,” a continuation supposedly an improvement of the previous “Build, Build, Build” program. But three years into your term, the question is unavoidable: Where are they?
Where are the big-ticket infrastructure wins that bear the stamp of your leadership? Not inherited from Duterte. Not stalled in paperwork. Truly yours. Truly new.
VISIONARY INFRASTRUCTURE
This is why your decision to hit pause on the EDSA plan is actually a gift. It opens the door to something bigger, something bolder, something transformative.
Take for example the San Juanico Bridge, built during the time of your father. It was not just an engineering feat, it was a statement of national unity, linking Samar and Leyte for the first time through a permanent, physical structure.
Decades later, long after President Marcos Sr. left office, the bridge continues to serve millions, facilitating commerce, travel, and regional integration in Eastern Visayas.
That’s what visionary infrastructure looks like: it outlives the politics, it endures beyond the presidency, and it becomes part of the daily lives of Filipinos who never even knew the name of the man who built it.
APPOINT RIGHT PEOPLE
To achieve this, you need your best people focused on the right things. Officials like DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon, who has shown promise in the past, must be deployed strategically.
But Sec. Dizon, respectfully, enough with the photo ops about broken escalators, racing buses, dialogues with drivers, faster airport queuing, and yes, riding the MRT.
These themes, while important, have been recycled since time immemorial, panahon pa ni Kopong kopong at Gasgas na gasgas na ’yan PR-wise. Publicity-wise, they’re low-yield. Operationally, they can and should be delegated to an assistant secretary or bureau director.
It is a waste of your executive time and strategic talent to focus on minutiae. Sayang, because you can do so much more for the President and the country.
Don’t get me wrong: I say this only because I believe you should be handling bigger assignments or pushing big-ticket projects that require not only managerial expertise, but also coordination, leadership, and fund sourcing.
Someone like Dizon should could first focus on solving the right-of-way (ROW) bottlenecks that continue to delay critical infrastructure projects across Metro Manila. That’s the real chokepoint.
The real battlefield is in game-changing infrastructure, NSCR, subway completion, bridge-building, ferry revival, and the full decongestion of Metro Manila. I am confident he can do it.
No one else in government is doing this with urgency right now and maybe smile a little more, Mr. Secretary. That frowning, always-angry face isn’t helping the commute either. (Joke lang.)
BUILDING HOPE
Mr. President, infrastructure legacies are not built on cement alone. They are built on vision and delivery.
Urban planning is not just about pouring concrete. It’s about knowing when to build, where to build, and why to build. What is the point of spending billions on a road that encourages the very traffic you’re trying to fix?
The Filipino public has had enough of temporary fixes. What they want is clarity, courage, and compassion from government.
Rethinking EDSA is the right instinct. But don’t just cancel or revise. Replace it with a bolder, more comprehensive, people-first transport agenda.
By shifting the national conversation from short-term reblocking to long-term mobility, you can rescue “Build Better More” from being a forgettable slogan. You can make it real.
This writer is no transport expert. But like millions of Filipinos, I sit in traffic. I take the trains. I walk far when needed. I see what’s broken and I know what works. We all do.
We live it every day. We endure the delays, the heat, the hours lost with our families. We hope that someone in power is listening.
Mr. President, you still have time to build not just infrastructure, but hope.
A bridge is not just concrete. A subway is not just steel. Done right, they are monuments to compassion, ambition, and vision. Build those and your legacy will outlive any slogan, headline or hashtag.
But let’s be clear: no matter how well-intentioned or well-executed, six months or even two years, of roadwork on EDSA will not solve Metro Manila’s traffic problem.
It might make the roads smoother, sure. But smoother roads do not reduce congestion.
The EDSA rehab, as proposed, would disrupt daily commutes for millions. In the end, what’s the output?
A better road for private vehicles? A few minutes saved, until the next bottleneck down the line?
If this is the flagship urban mobility project of the Marcos Jr. administration, it’s woefully underwhelming.
We need solutions that address the core issue: our cities are designed for cars, not people.
That’s why traffic is relentless. . That’s why a “smoother” EDSA is an illusion of progress.
MASS TRANSIT AND BBM BRIDGE PROGRAM
Mr. President, if you truly want to fix traffic and leave behind an infrastructure legacy, then go all-in on mass transport.
Speed up the North-South Commuter Railway, Metro Manila Subway and the Makati Subway.
These are game-changing projects already in the pipeline. Fund them properly. Shield them from politics.
Turn the Makati Subway into a national project. If the Taguig-Makati boundary row is causing delays, resolve it by declaring the project a national priority.
Accelerate right-of-way acquisition. Too many transport, road and bridge projects are stuck because we tiptoe around ROW issues.
Exercise full authority. Compensate fairly. But move forward. That’s leadership.
Build more bridges across the Pasig River. Guadalupe Bridge rehab? Good. But where are the new crossings? Connect Makati to Manila, Taguig to Pasig and Taytay, Mandaluyong to Pateros. Expand east-west mobility, not just north-south.
Consider launching a BBM Bridge Program, a national initiative to systematically address Metro Manila’s severe deficiency in east-west crossings. Make it a presidential banner project. It’s doable. It’s visible and it’s badly needed.
Revive the Pasig River ferry service. You want a cheap, low-carbon transport option? It’s right there. With the right planning, investment and integration, ferry transport can be viable again.
Activate C6 with bridges, connectors and flyovers. Why is it still underutilized? C6 could be a powerful alternative to EDSA if linked properly to city centers.
Shift to a car-less urban policy. Restrict private car use in key business districts. Expand walkable zones. Launch Bus Rapid Transit lines. Make it easier to live without a car.
BUILD BETTER MORE, WHERE ARE THEY?
Your administration’s battle cry was “Build Better More,” a continuation supposedly an improvement of the previous “Build, Build, Build” program. But three years into your term, the question is unavoidable: Where are they?
Where are the big-ticket infrastructure wins that bear the stamp of your leadership? Not inherited from Duterte. Not stalled in paperwork. Truly yours. Truly new.
VISIONARY INFRASTRUCTURE
This is why your decision to hit pause on the EDSA plan is actually a gift. It opens the door to something bigger, something bolder, something transformative.
Take for example the San Juanico Bridge, built during the time of your father. It was not just an engineering feat, it was a statement of national unity, linking Samar and Leyte for the first time through a permanent, physical structure.
Decades later, long after President Marcos Sr. left office, the bridge continues to serve millions, facilitating commerce, travel, and regional integration in Eastern Visayas.
That’s what visionary infrastructure looks like: it outlives the politics, it endures beyond the presidency, and it becomes part of the daily lives of Filipinos who never even knew the name of the man who built it.
APPOINT RIGHT PEOPLE
To achieve this, you need your best people focused on the right things. Officials like DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon, who has shown promise in the past, must be deployed strategically.
But Sec. Dizon, respectfully, enough with the photo ops about broken escalators, racing buses, dialogues with drivers, faster airport queuing, and yes, riding the MRT.
These themes, while important, have been recycled since time immemorial, panahon pa ni Kopong kopong at Gasgas na gasgas na ’yan PR-wise. Publicity-wise, they’re low-yield. Operationally, they can and should be delegated to an assistant secretary or bureau director.
It is a waste of your executive time and strategic talent to focus on minutiae. Sayang, because you can do so much more for the President and the country.
Don’t get me wrong: I say this only because I believe you should be handling bigger assignments or pushing big-ticket projects that require not only managerial expertise, but also coordination, leadership, and fund sourcing.
Someone like Dizon should could first focus on solving the right-of-way (ROW) bottlenecks that continue to delay critical infrastructure projects across Metro Manila. That’s the real chokepoint.
The real battlefield is in game-changing infrastructure, NSCR, subway completion, bridge-building, ferry revival, and the full decongestion of Metro Manila. I am confident he can do it.
No one else in government is doing this with urgency right now and maybe smile a little more, Mr. Secretary. That frowning, always-angry face isn’t helping the commute either. (Joke lang.)
BUILDING HOPE
Mr. President, infrastructure legacies are not built on cement alone. They are built on vision and delivery.
Urban planning is not just about pouring concrete. It’s about knowing when to build, where to build, and why to build. What is the point of spending billions on a road that encourages the very traffic you’re trying to fix?
The Filipino public has had enough of temporary fixes. What they want is clarity, courage, and compassion from government.
Rethinking EDSA is the right instinct. But don’t just cancel or revise. Replace it with a bolder, more comprehensive, people-first transport agenda.
By shifting the national conversation from short-term reblocking to long-term mobility, you can rescue “Build Better More” from being a forgettable slogan. You can make it real.
This writer is no transport expert. But like millions of Filipinos, I sit in traffic. I take the trains. I walk far when needed. I see what’s broken and I know what works. We all do.
We live it every day. We endure the delays, the heat, the hours lost with our families. We hope that someone in power is listening.
Mr. President, you still have time to build not just infrastructure, but hope.
A bridge is not just concrete. A subway is not just steel. Done right, they are monuments to compassion, ambition, and vision. Build those and your legacy will outlive any slogan, headline or hashtag.
Jun 16, 2025
We are dedicated storytellers with a passion for bringing your brand to life. Our services range from news and media features to brand promotion and collaborations.
Interested? Visit our
Contact Us page for more information. To learn more about what we offer, check out our latest article on services and opportunities.