Police say private vehicles caused gridlock on SLEX, affecting cargo

Gridlock on the northbound section of the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) that affected the delivery of cargo was caused by an influx of private vehicles, police said Tuesday.

According to a 24 Oras report by Darlene Cay, vehicles stretched all the way from Susana Heights to Filinvest, Muntinlupa as authorities strictly implemented checkpoint rules for those seeking to enter Metro Manila.

Filinvest Quarantine Control Point chief Police Lieutenant Porferio Simon said 70 percent of the vehicles in the gridlock were privately owned.

“Ang nangyayari po… ang dami pa po ring private vehicles. Sila rin po ang isang nagca-cause ng delay kasi sumasabay sila sa mga cargoes natin saka mga frontliners,” he said.

Police opened two express lanes only for cargo and frontliners, while lanes were also allocated for vehicles that were not allowed to pass through the checkpoint.

“Nakikita natin maaaring ‘yung iba, sumubok na maglabasan ngayon. Ang isa naman, puwedeng nakadagdag diyan ay ‘yung pagsasagawa natin ng strict implementation noong ating checkpoint,” said Police Lieutenant General Guillermo Eleazar, chief of the police’s Joint Task Force for COVID-19. — Julia Mari Ornedo/BM, GMA News