Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Traffic has not spared the Monday flag-raising ceremony of most government agencies.
The program usually begins at 8 a.m., but not for one government office in Pasig City.
Its employees are having difficulty making it on time because of the worsening traffic situation so they moved the program by 30 minutes.
Related: Govt’s proposed solution to EDSA traffic: Ban cars with less than 3 passengers
One employee explained that attendance was really low when the ceremony was still scheduled at 8 a.m.
“Mababa as in mababa yung attendance noon. Kaunti lang yung umaabot sa flag raising… Yung traffic is number one main problem. Kahit mag-adjust ka it’s getting worse,” government employee Joanne Nuque said.
But some still failed to meet the new schedule.
“Traffic sa Commonwealth, Philcoa, everywhere,” according to Chi Sune, another employee, who explained that adjusting the time by 30 minutes didn’t help.
Another government employee named Len Gutierrez shared the sentiment. Gutierrez left Antipolo on Monday (September 14) past 6 a.m, but arrived at her workplace past 9 a.m., which means she spends roughly two and a half hours on the road due to traffic.
Related: How to keep calm while stuck in traffic
Aside from the stress of travel, Gutierrez said she feels she has become less productive.
“Iniisip mo rin yung work kasi nakakahiya. Late ka. Tapos yung mga trabaho so kailangan mo bang magbilin, magte-text na ako na I will be coming late,” she said.
Tardiness means fewer services to the public, not to mention the employee’s pay deductions.
It also means a big shift in lifestyle if only to redeem precious time lost because of traffic delays.
