THE Department of Transportation (DOTr) said Tuesday it will start to transfer its office to Clark, Pampanga, on July 28.
"The transfer is seen to help decongest traffic in Metro Manila, reduce travel time and improve the travel of motorists, and boost the development in the peripheries of NCR (National Capital Region)," DOTr said in a statement.
The transfer, which will be done in batches, is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
DOTr said it conducted series of dialogues with its employees wherein arrangements such as the provision of free shuttle services to ferry employees to and from Clark, implementing flexible time and four-day work week schedule, and availability of affordable food were formulated and agreed upon. Discussions on subsidized accommodations are also ongoing.
DOTr employees were also given the option to transfer or be detailed in any DOTr attached agency. Likewise, employees from DOTr attached agencies who wish to be based in Clark were also given the option to transfer or be detailed to the Department.
Citing computations, it said the transfer will increase the agency's savings, owing to less rental and overhead costs as well as gaining potential income from opening its owned units in Columbia Tower for lease. The DOTr is estimated to earn an additional P9.3 million per year from the transfer.
According to a study released by the Japan International Cooperation Agency in September 2014, traffic congestion in Metro Manila is costing the Philippines at least P2.4 billion a day, which, if left without intervention, is likely to reach P6 billion a day by 2030. (SDR/SunStar Philippines)