Bear with us for a while -- Erap.....................................................................................................................................................................“PANSAMANTALANG sakripisyo ay magbubunga ng pangmatagalang ginhawa sa lahat.” This was emphasized by Manila Mayor Joseph E. Estrada in appealing for public cooperation and patience over the ongoing traffic reforms in the city. “We cannot stand still. We must keep on trying all possible solutions,” he added. The traffic problem occupied public attention following the implementation last July 23 of a Manila City ordinance banning all buses without terminals in the city. The mayor also called for discipline for both the commuters and transport drivers. “Sumunod tayo sa pinag-uutos ng mga alituntunin. Ang batas ay batas na dapat sundin.”As a parallel effort to solve the traffic problem, Estrada disclosed the establishment of a traffic control command center in city hall. “The CCTV cameras and other gadgets now in place in bottleneck areas will help us monitor traffic congestion and act promptly. The center will be manned 24 hours by expert personnel.”Estrada deplored that the traffic congestion which has pestered over the years is inflicting huge harm on the local and national economy. “The impeded flow of goods and services coupled by enormous losses in productive man-hours could amount to millions of losses daily,” he said.The mayor has also been conducting dialogues with transport groups and other multi-sectoral sectors to solicit their inputs. He stressed that all hands should be on deck.Meanwhile, traffic czar Vice Mayor Isko Moreno has been personally monitoring the effective and smooth implementation of the ordinance. He apologized for the initial inconvenience the riding public suffered during its initial day of implementation.“Sa simula lang ’yan. Konti pang sakripisyo. ’Di magtatagal lahat tayo ay makikinabang,” Moreno said.After a four-day ban implementation, traffic congestion considerably eased in bottleneck areas like around city hall, Liwasang Bonifacio, Quiapo, España, C.M. Recto and Taft Avenue. Moreno expects these improvements in most parts of the city shortly.http://www.journal.com.ph/index.php/...r-a-while-erap