President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Sunday, June 1 announced the postponement of the much-anticipated rehabilitation of EDSA, which was originally scheduled to begin on June 13.

Marcos said the government is prioritizing a thorough review of the cost-benefit analysis of the planned EDSA rehabilitation project, along with exploring advanced methods that could shorten the construction period.

“Pause na muna ‘yan at sabi natin bibigyan natin ang sarili natin ng isang buwan na aaralin natin ang bagong teknolohiya na ang nakikita natin, pag-aaralan natin. Gumawa tayo ng magandang plano para naman imbes na dalawang taon, magawa natin sa anim na buwan, magawa natin sa isang taon,” the President said.

“Ang laking sakripisyo ng dalawang taon na masyadong mabigat, masyadong mahigpit ang traffic,” he added, stressing the possible hardship to commuters if the current plan pushes through.

“Sa ngayon, maliwanag na maliwanag na napakarami ang mahihirapan kapag tinuloy natin ang EDSA rehabilitation,” Marcos stressed.

Marcos further explained that the government will use the month-long postponement to refine the EDSA rehabilitation plan, aiming to minimize public inconvenience and potentially complete the project in a significantly shorter time frame.

Meanwhile, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Vince Dizon confirmed that the dry run of the proposed odd-even traffic scheme, originally set for June 16, has been canceled following the President’s announcement.