MANILA, Philippines – Operators of shopping malls in Metro Manila have agreed to adjust their operating hours during the holiday season to help in the bid to ease the country’s traffic woes, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said on Tuesday.
The MMDA said mall operators agreed to open shop an hour later than the usual time at 11 a.m. during weekdays starting November 11, 2019, until January 10, 2020.
Mall sales will also be prohibited from Monday to Friday in the same period, the MMDA said.
Deliveries of non-perishable goods will also be limited at night time, from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Shopping mall operators also agreed on deploying additional security personnel to direct the flow of vehicles going inside mall parking areas which cause traffic gridlock.
They also agreed to remove obstructions on loading and unloading bays in mall vicinities.
The MMDA said the agreement was made during their meeting on Tuesday which tackled traffic contingency measures to ease the anticipated traffic, particularly along EDSA, during the holiday season.
The agency estimates there are at least 100 shopping malls in Metro Manila.
“Traffic is already bad and we expect it to get worse as the number of vehicles increases daily,” said MMDA general manager Jojo Garcia.
Road reblocking along EDSA and C5 will also be temporarily suspended in the same period, except for government flagship projects and emergency cases, according to the MMDA.
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