(SPOT.ph) Holidays are when you can spend quality time with your family—and in the Metro, these precious hours are usually spent stuck in a car trying to get some Christmas shopping done. In a bid to ease the usual holiday rush-induced congestion, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority is looking to ask mall operators to schedule their shopping sales and even events like concerts, on weekends only. The agency is hoping to implement the ban by November, once they've settled talks with the operators.
The possible measure was introduced during talks on the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority's (MMDA) plans for the holiday rush. "There will be no more sales during weekdays, it can be done only on weekends,” said Joe Campo, MMDA Assistant General Manager for Planning, in a report by Inquirer.net. The agency might exempt Fridays from the ban, so don't worry too much about your post-workweek shopping plans.
MMDA will also be asking mall operators to open no earlier than 11 a.m. as well as keeping deliveries within 11 p.m. to 5 p.m. According to Campo, adjusting mall operating hours worked well during the holiday season in 2018, in a report by ABS-CBN News. And with around 300,000 mall employees in the Metro, they're hoping this will encourage them to carpool more.
The agency will be setting discussions with mall operators throughout October, but MMDA General Manager Jojo Garcia is eyeing a November deadline for the implementation. Congestion is already at Christmas rush-levels as of August, with around 400,000 cars traversing EDSA alone on a daily basis, and the number is expected to rise. Here's hoping these measures add up to something!
this strange new world.
