FORMER Davao City lawmaker Atty. Karlo Nograles said that the issue of traffic congestion in the city is a consequence of progress and development thus, the city needs to explore several ideas to address it.
Speaking to residents of the third district on Monday, Nograles, who is also a former cabinet secretary of former President Rodrigo Duterte, said a multi-pronged approach to addressing traffic should be adopted. This is amid the TomTom survey showing Davao City as the 8th most traffic-congested city in the world and the most congested city in the Philippines.
Nograles on Monday explained that since traffic is usually a consequence of a city’s development; the more progressive a city becomes, the more its roads become busy.
"Among the possible solutions is the establishment of a 'digital superhighway' in Davao City," he said.
He also cited a case example that if "we reduce the number of people who need to commute daily, we ease congestion and improve productivity at the same time", showing that traffic is not just a transportation issue but also an economic one.
"Instead of simply widening roads, we need to rethink mobility by reducing the need to travel in the first place. Hindi lang mga bagong daan ang sagot sa traffic; isa din solusyon ang tinatawag na digital superhighway. We will invest in digital infrastructure to support remote jobs and encourage businesses to adopt hybrid work setups," he said.
He added that the local government of Davao needs to digitize its services so that fewer Dabawenyos need to commute to the city's center to get permits.
Being a modern city, he advises that the city should also embrace modern work models, such as work-from-home or flexi-tie arrangements.
"If we can adopt these arrangements, we will not only reduce peak-hour congestion but also improve work-life balance," he said, adding that in fact, Davao City can lead the way in promoting industries that do not require people to spend hours commuting.”
Nograles, also a Civil Service Commission (CSC) chair, issued during his time CSC Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 6, s. 2022, which provided guidelines and policies on Flexible Working Arrangements (FWAs) in government offices.
“Traffic solutions should go beyond infrastructure... If we can anticipate the problem, we can plan for it — and we can solve it,” he ended. CEA