Senator Ralph Recto on Thursday said the government should build more roads and improve the mass transit system instead of relying on number coding schemes to solve Metro Manila's traffic problem. "Metro Manila will double in size in 20 to 25 years (and) the problem with traffic will not be solved by way of color coding alone," Recto said during a weekly forum at the Senate on Thursday. "You have to build, not only mass transit, but new roads and new bridges," Recto said. The senator, who heads the Senate committee on ways and means, specifically suggested that:
the government should build a new Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) or an elevated highway that would connect the South Luzon Expressway and the North Luzon Expressway, and the Metro Rail Transit and Light Rail Transit should increase the number of its coaches to accommodate more commuters at once. "You have to make the reinvestment," he said. "With that, people will see that there is hope, or light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak," he said. "You want to build a smart Metro Manila. Ito ang pagkakataon natin ngayon (This is our chance). We can benefit from the economic conditions globally right now," he added. Recto likewise said that building infrastructures will create more jobs and make the Philippine economy more competitive. "You will not be able to sustain growth without necessary infrastructures," he said. LTFRB chairperson Nelson Laluces said around 100 bus operators participated in Monday's strike in protest to the number-coding scheme, which left more than 8,5000 passengers stranded in Metro Manila. - VVP, GMANews.TV 
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