Perched on a flowerbox at a busy intersection in the Philippine capital, Irna Lapriza's eyes jump from one car to the next, her fingers flying across manual tally counters as she logs each passing vehicle. Rain or shine, through floods and car exhaust pollution, the 41-year-old holds the fort as carmageddon plays out each day in the Southeast Asian metropolis infamous for its terrible gridlock. Her tallies end up with the traffic engineers of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), who design and propose inexpensive traffic solutions.

AFP VIDEO