Efforts to temper Metro Manila’s worsening holiday traffic gained support from San Juan City Mayor and Metro Manila Council president Francis Zamora, who voiced approval of plans to move mall-wide sales away from the peak Christmas period.
Zamora raised the matter on Monday, Dec. 15, on the sidelines of a wreath-laying ceremony marking the 150th birth anniversary of revolutionary hero Emilio Jacinto at the Emilio Jacinto Monument in San Juan City.
Under the proposed adjustment, large-scale sales covering entire malls would be limited to weekends, while similar promotions on weekdays would be discouraged to reduce the surge of shoppers and vehicles across the National Capital Region.
“Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Don Artes has been coordinating with the malls for this. Ako po, pabor po ako sapagkat alam naman natin na yung Christmas palang ay dahilan na para ang ating mga mamamayan ay pumunta sa mga malls, more so kung meron pang mga mall-wide sales. Mas maganda talaga kung wala na muna tayong mall-wide sales sa ngayon. Gawin nalang natin ito after the Christmas rush,” Zamora said.
He pointed to the seasonal draw of shopping centers during December, noting that the holidays alone already generate heavy foot and vehicle traffic even without large-scale promotions.
“Yung volume ng tao ay we want to somewhat mitigate. We want to somehow control kasi again, may natural inclination na tayo to go to the malls because of the Christmas season,” he added.
Zamora said a more practical window for mall-wide sales would be after the holidays, suggesting January or February as alternatives once traffic demand normalizes.
MMDA Chairman Don Artes had earlier appealed to mall operators to avoid scheduling mall-wide sales during the Yuletide rush as part of measures addressing widespread gridlock affecting both motorists and commuters.
“We are not blaming the mall owners. What we are saying is that we are politely asking them, if possible, not to hold mall-wide sales because they really do cause extremely heavy traffic, like what we experienced last Dec. 10,” Artes said.
He clarified that the request does not cover individual store promotions, stressing that only synchronized, mall-wide discount events are being discouraged.
“We are not prohibiting sales per se in individual stores. What we are only prohibiting are mall-wide sales, where all the stores in the mall have sales at the same time. So, this does not restrain trade,” Artes said.
The MMDA chief also reiterated calls for the public to prioritize public transportation during the Christmas season, citing the high volume of private vehicles as a major contributor to Metro Manila’s severe traffic congestion.
