MANILA, Philippines - President Benigno S. Aquino III on Monday apologized to the public for the monstrous traffic jams in the metro and on the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) as the government tries to resolve the port congestion in Manila.
Speaking after the launch of the Mindanao Inclusive Agribusiness Program in Davao City, Aquino said he will be briefed this afternoon on what exactly caused the gridlock.
"I don't want to rely on the reports anymore, I want to see the videos that were captured by the CCTV," Aquino told reporters.
On Friday, thousands of commuters and motorists were trapped in monster traffic jams on NLEX from Meycauayan in Bulacan to Balintawak in Caloocan City.
Heavy traffic will also be expected in the coming days as the government will implement the 24-hour "last mile truck routes" to decongest the Port of Manila of shipping containers.
Aquino appealed to the public to sacrifice and be patient with the traffic woes or suffer the longer term effects of the port congestion.
"We ask for forgiveness from the public. There is an impact of this congestion on the growth of our economy," Aquino said.
"We don't want this thing to exacerbate problems like, for instance, the increasing prices for food because of the difficulty in the transport and the logistics hub," he added.