Trend Alert: Davao Beats Manila — Philippines’ New Traffic King — and Asia’s Gridlock Stage
By Ree Amante
The Philippines’ long-standing traffic narrative has officially flipped — and the internet is buzzing. In the latest 2025 TomTom Traffic Index, Davao City has overtaken Metro Manila as the worst city for traffic in the Philippines — and surprisingly, now ranks among the worst in Asia.
For years, Metro Manila was the punchline of every Filipino commuter’s daily misery. But with Davao City scoring a higher congestion level (58.2%) than Manila (57.3%) in the broader metropolitan area analysis, the southern city now claims the title of the Philippines’ most gridlocked urban center — and lands an eye-opening #4 spot in Asia on the congestion list.
The numbers tell a brutal story: both cities now lose commuters over 120 hours stuck in slow-moving traffic annually, with Davao narrowly edging Manila
Davao’s Rising (Traffic) Tide — What’s Fueling It?
Davao’s ascent to these unwanted ranking stems from rapid urban growth, surging car ownership, and persistent infrastructure bottlenecks — not to mention roadworks and project-related closures that have squeezed key arteries. Local commentators have argued the city’s traffic woes are underreported, and some residents even dispute the indices, calling the rankings “overblown” or not reflective of their lived experience.
Some critics online go further: attributing the gridlock not just to cars, but to poor traffic system planning and inadequate enforcement — a systemic issue not unique to Davao but painfully visible there now.
Manila Isn’t Off the Hook — It’s Just Slightly Less Bad
Meanwhile, Manila did see a modest improvement from previous rankings — but the city still sits firmly atop local commuter frustrations, often clocking longer travel times on key arterial routes.
And with Metro Manila’s sprawling urban footprint and chronic public transit challenges, many commuters argue the ranking numbers barely scratch the surface of daily realities — especially on days when a short trip can turn into a multi-hour ordeal.
A Contested Index — and Commuters Who Aren’t Listening to Numbers
Officials from both Davao and Manila have occasionally questioned how much these global traffic indices really reflect on-the-ground conditions. Some traffic planners argue that localized traffic patterns, alternative routes, and time-of-day variations make blanket rankings misleading.
But for the millions of commuters stuck in gridlock daily — whether in Davao, Manila, or beyond — the frustration is real, rankings aside.
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