Daily cost of traffic to every Metro Manila resident rose by 45.6 percent in 2017, according to the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in a forum on Thursday.

During the 36th Joint Meeting of the Economic Cooperation Committees of the Philippines and Japan, Susumo Ito, chief representative of JICA Philippines, said daily cost of traffic in Metro Manila is estimated at P3.5 billion in 2017, higher than a estimated P2.4 billion based on the previous roadmap.

With an estimated 12.8 million population of Metro Manila as of 2015, that amounts to P273 each resident a day from P187.5 each resident in the previous roadmap.

Without intervention, the daily cost traffic will increase to P5.4 billion.

Ito said Metro Manila is getting worse as traffic demand reached 13.4 million trips per day.

Ito said the government's Build Build Build Program "is in right direction, but even with BBB, bottlenecks will remain in outer areas. Therefore, additional projects should be implemented.”

By 2035, the daily cost of traffic will be reduced to P3 billion with the government BBB program, while with additional projects, the impact will further cut to P2.4 billion.

Manuel Pangilinan, chairman of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. said the real answer to traffic problem is an efficient transport system ? a combination of buses, light rail, and urban subway.

“This also have added benefit of pushing population out of Metro Manila to suburbs,” Pangilinan said.

“That is why the solution offered by various Japanese-funded rail projects, such as the 160 kilometer Clark to Los Banos Commuter Line and the Mega Manila Subway are projects we support. We are prepared to participate meaningfully in these projects,” he added.

The government plans to spend P8 trillion to P9 trillion, or roughly $160 billion to $180 billion, in the next six years for its boldest infrastructure development program, called “Build, Build, Build”T DMS