He may never set foot in New Clark City, but taxi driver Edgard Labitag hopes the Philippines' first green, disaster-resilient, high-tech metropolis will ease the pressure on Manila — meaning fewer hours stuck in traffic and more time with his children.
At the wheel on a sweltering Sunday afternoon, the 42-year-old bemoaned another shift spent inching along the infamously congested streets of the capital city of 13 million people.
"Crowding, pollution and traffic — this is what people say about Manila," he said, gesturing at the gridlock.