Managing mall traffic is not the only traffic mitigation plan, says MMDA

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) clarified that managing mall-wide sales and events was only one part of mitigation efforts to curb traffic congestion, and that their focus was on reducing any possible additional vehicles on the road.

In an interview during the Ligtas Christmas 2025 launch at the Malinta National High School in Valenzuela, MMDA Swift Traffic Action Group Commander Edison Nebrija said MMDA only requested for the malls to submit their plans ahead of time for joint coordination.

“It is just one of the Christmas traffic mitigation policies of the MMDA na iniiwasan natin ang weekday sale, weekend po pwede… Ang panawagan lang naman ng MMDA, kindly inform us two weeks ahead if you will be conducting this mall-wide sale so that we could see your traffic management plan, we could suggest kung paano natin mapapabuti yan, and we also could deploy in advance yung mga enforcers namin kasi mahirap magkabiglaan na may mall-wide sale pala and wala kaming enforcers,” he said.

(It is just one of the Christmas traffic mitigation policies of the MMDA that we are avoiding weekday sales, but weekends are okay… MMDA’s call is really just to inform us 2 weeks ahead if you will be conducting this mall-wide sale so that we could see your traffic management plan, we could suggest how we can make it better, and we also could deploy our enforcers in advance becaue it’s difficult for there to suddenly be a mall wide sale with no enforcers deployed.)

“We just want to know. Yun lang naman ang ano ni chairman, na malaman namin kung saan, kailan. Ang ano lang naman namin is mamanage namin ahead of time, para bago pa bumigat, andun na enforcers namin at magawan namin ng paraan,” he added.

(We just want to know. That’s the only [concern] of chairman, for us to know when and where. Our [concern] is only to manage it ahead of time, so that before traffic gets heavier, we can make better plans.)

The statement followed after MMDA earlier called for malls to curb mall-wide sales due to the holiday rush.

Nebrija noted that coordination with malls to mitigate holiday traffic took place every year, with discussions starting October for 2025.

“Di naman namin binabawasan yung traffic based on the volume, binabawasan namin yung dagdag. Mamitigate yung effect nun,” he said.

(We are not really lessening traffic based on the volume, we are lessening the additional vehicles. We are mitigating those effects.)

Earlier, MMDA shared that the six-hour grid-lock traffic along Marcos Highway was caused by uncoordinated mall-wide sales and truck ban policies outside their jurisdiction.

They called for coordination between LGUs and other malls to avoid similar incidents in the future.

Beyond managing mall events and promotions, the MMDA also called for the use of Mabuhay Lanes to avoid adding more vehicles to holiday traffic.

“Kung magmamall ka lang, mamamasyal ka lang, use Mabuhay Lanes so that you will not be part of the regular traffic commute route natin,” said Nebrija.

(If you’re just going to the mall and strolling around, use Mabuhay Lanes so that you will not be part of the regular traffic commute route.)

Nebrija stated that EDSA is currently taking on around 500,000 vehicles, which was a 10% to 20% increase from the usual daily average, due to the holiday rush.

MMDA said that the holiday carmaggedon often takes place on the first and second week of December.  — BAP, GMA Integrated News