Be The Good: Commuters, cyclists watch and weigh in on Marcos’ traffic town hall

MANILA, Philippines – For the first time, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will join a “town hall” focused on the Metro Manila traffic situation on Wednesday, April 10.

Marcos invited the public to participate via the “comments section,” but how far will this gathering go in terms of listening to ordinary citizens and commuters?

Rappler wants to amplify voices of active transport advocates and commuters whose groups were not invited to the town hall.

Watch the livestream of the town hall itself, with commentary and reactions from these groups who have been advocating for more inclusive transportation policies:

The discussion will be moderated by Rappler head of community Pia Ranada.

Catch the town hall livestream and panel discussion at 8 am on April 10, on this page and Rappler’s YouTube and Facebook pages.

The event will gather top officials in transportation, infrastructure, and economic planning: Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chief Romando Artes, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, and Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr.

These officials will provide an overview of programs they’ve started to address the traffic situation in Metro Manila. There will then be an open forum with Metro Manila mayors and transport groups, including representatives from bus and jeepney operators, and ride-hailing apps.

Marcos will then speak to relay “guidance” to the government agencies.

Our live panel wants to engage with you, our viewers. You can contribute your own insights, questions, and ideas about the traffic town hall by joining the Liveable Cities chat room, inside the Rappler Communities app.

We will be reading comments and questions sent to the chat room during the live panel discussion.

To join the chat room, just download the app from Google Playstore or Apple App Store. Tab the Communities tab at the bottom and look for the Liveable Cities chat room.

This live panel discussion is part of Make Manila Liveable, a collaboration of communities and journalists to push for quality of life in Philippine cities, one city at a time. Learn more about it here. –