MANILA - The Metro Manila Development Authority said Tuesday it was considering banning private vehicles from major roads for 2 days in a week under an expanded number coding scheme.

Under the current setup private cars are prohibited from main roads once a week, depending on the last number on their license plates.

Up to 30 percent of all registered vehicles in the country are in Metro Manila. The metropolis, however, only has 5 percent of the total roads, MMDA Chairman Danilo Lim told a congressional hearing.

Simultaneous road constructions aggravate the daily traffic jams, Lim said.

Lim also revealed that some traffic enforcers have not been going to work since they have not been paid since February.

He said that there are over 2000 MMDA traffic enforcers deployed on national roads in Metro Manila, but they still need more.

Traffic jams are a daily ordeal in Metro Manila, home to 12 million people or roughly a tenth of the population and President Rodrigo Duterte has asked Congress for "emergency powers" to solve it.

The economy loses roughly P2.4 billion daily due to the traffic problem, according to a study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.