EDSA traffic volume drops amid oil price hikes

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March 25, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Amid continued oil price hikes, traffic volume on EDSA went down by eight percent, the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said yesterday.

“We saw a reduction of five to eight percent since we started the behavioral count last Monday of the vehicles passing through EDSA,” MMDA general manager Nicolas Torre III told reporters during the Metro Manila Council press conference.

Torre said a study is ongoing and they are looking further into the effect while the conflict in the Middle East is not yet resolved, along with the supply chain of gasoline.

“We will review the data first why this happened,” he said.

The official said the percentage is equivalent to 20,000 to 30,000 vehicles, which may not be felt by other motorists.

Truck ban, coding exemptions

The MMDA announced yesterday that oil tankers and vehicles used to deliver basic commodities will be exempted from the truck ban and the number coding scheme.

“We understand the needs of our people and our situation right now is beyond normal. So, we are alleviating it through these directives,” Torre said.

Don Artes, MMDA chairman, said the resolution responds to requests from the Department of Energy and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), which highlighted the need to exempt these vehicles from the policies to facilitate the “fast transportation of petroleum products and essential goods.”

“This would ensure the unimpeded movement of energy sources and ease the mobility of goods amid the rising price of fuel products,” Artes said.

The MMDA is in close coordination with the DTI, which will identify the essential goods that will qualify for the exemptions.

The resolution takes effect immediately after its publication in at least two newspapers of general circulation.