By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA, Philippines — The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and four local governments have agreed to mount a unified traffic management effort along Marcos Highway, following a massive gridlock that trapped motorists for nearly six hours last year.
The MMDA on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding with the local governments of Pasig, Marikina and Antipolo cities and Cainta, Rizal, to strengthen traffic and transport management along the major corridor.
The agreement covers the stretch of Marcos Highway, also known as the Marikina-Infanta Road, that cuts across the four jurisdictions.
Under the pact, the MMDA and the participating local governments will work to keep the highway free of obstructions, including illegally parked or stalled vehicles, unauthorized terminals and structures, vendors and other illegal occupants that disrupt traffic flow.
The four local governments also committed to ensuring adequate traffic supervision and deploying sufficient personnel along connecting roads to help keep vehicles moving, particularly at critical points where congestion can quickly spread across jurisdictions.
The coordinated response stems from the traffic disaster on Dec. 6, 2025, when motorists along Marcos Highway endured nearly six hours of gridlock.
The incident prompted traffic officials from the MMDA, Antipolo, Cainta, Marikina and Pasig to meet at the MMDA headquarters three days later to review traffic conditions and identify measures to prevent a repeat of the crippling congestion.
The new agreement formalizes that coordination, bringing the agencies and local governments under a common approach to traffic enforcement and road management.
The MMDA said the objective is to ensure that Marcos Highway remains passable and that traffic authorities can respond more effectively when congestion begins building up along the interconnected road network.
With Marcos Highway serving as a major link between Metro Manila and Rizal, officials said closer coordination among the jurisdictions is crucial to preventing localized traffic problems from escalating into a corridor-wide gridlock.
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