MANILA—Akbayan Party has called on NLEX Corporation and concerned government agencies to explain the hours-long traffic gridlock that stranded thousands of motorists amid severe flooding along the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX).

The progressive political party said Tuesday traffic congestion stretching to about 10 kilometers persisted since the weekend, with heavy traffic still reported in both directions near the Tulaoc and San Simon Interchanges despite improvements in some portions of the expressway.

Akbayan President Rafaela David said the incident raised concerns over the preparedness of NLEX Corporation and government agencies for flooding in areas known to be vulnerable to the hazard.

“Why is NLEX Corporation always caught off guard as if this is a new thing? NLEX should already know which portions of the expressway are vulnerable to flooding and have clear protocols in place before severe weather hits. Dapat may maagang babala, malinaw na contingency plan, at mabilis na aksyon para hindi maiwan ang libu-libong motorista sa gitna ng krisis,” David said.

The group said flooding itself may not always be preventable, but the resulting prolonged gridlock should not be considered an unavoidable consequence of severe weather.

“Ang baha ay maaaring hindi laging mapipigilan. Pero ang pag-iwan sa libu-libong motorista sa gitna ng malubhang trapik nang ilang oras sa isang kilalang flood-prone area ay usapin ng preparedness at traffic management,” David said.

David also said motorists paying toll fees should be able to expect reliable service and measures to protect them during dangerous conditions.

“Ang mahal ng binabayad na toll ng mga motorista. They have a right to expect safe, reliable, and responsive service. Hindi puwedeng kapag may baha, kanya-kanya na lang. The responsibility does not end at collecting toll fees. NLEX must provide good service and be prepared to protect motorists when conditions become dangerous,” she added.

Akbayan also urged the government to strengthen its oversight of the expressway operator and sought an accounting of how the traffic situation was handled.

The group asked NLEX and concerned agencies to clarify what went wrong, what warnings were issued, when restrictions on entry were considered, and why thousands of vehicles were allowed to enter or remain in an area already experiencing severe congestion.

“The government must answer these pressing questions,” David said, urging authorities and NLEX to conduct a full accounting of the incident and make their findings public.

Among the measures proposed by Akbayan are earlier and more visible warnings for motorists, timely restrictions or temporary closures of affected entry points, pre-positioning of pumps, rescue teams and emergency equipment, controlled traffic diversions, and measures to prevent additional vehicles from entering known bottlenecks.

David said authorities and the expressway operator should improve their response to extreme weather events, which she said are becoming more disruptive.

“Extreme weather is becoming more frequent and more disruptive. We cannot keep treating every major flood as if it were a surprise. NLEX and the government must shape up and make sure that the next storm does not again turn a flood into an hours-long trap for thousands of motorists,” David said.