Minority solons bat for MMDA budget hike

Updated @ 11:45 p.m., Sept. 18, 2019

MANILA, Philippines — Members of the minority in the House of Representatives are seeking a higher budget for the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA, after it was revealed that only 25 percent of its 8,000 employees are permanent workers.

Minority leader and Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. said in a briefing on Wednesday that it is no wonder why some traffic enforcers are receiving bribes from motorists, or leaving their posts to loiter.

During the budget deliberations of MMDA on Tuesday night, it was also mentioned that traffic enforcers receive a salary of P9,000 per month — a meager amount compared to their working conditions.

“It’s a pittance, especially considering that they are tasked with the near-impossible task of managing traffic in Metro Manila, given that 75 percent of them are hired on a job order (JO) basis,” Abante said.

“They do not even earn minimum wage. How do we expect them to resist bribes from motorists? Hindi po talaga makatarungan ang sitwasyon nila, and we hope our please to increase the budget of the MMDA find receptive ears among our colleagues in the majority,” he added.

Abante insisted that the practice of hiring job order workers should be on a temporary basis, but he revealed that there are some MMDA employees who have been with the agency for almost two decades, but are still employed as casual workers.

“Usong-uso ngayon ang job order sa lahat ng ahensya ng gobyerno, ewan ko kung bakit, para siguro mabigyan ng trabaho ‘yong mga walang trabaho. Pero bakit itong mga ‘to, nabalitaan namin, 17 years na, job order pa rin,” he noted.

“Renewal siguro every six months. Endo, literally endo,” he claimed.

MMDA’s budget for 2020 was slashed by P7.61 billion, leaving the agency to settle with P4.11 billion. Part of this budget cut affected the pending salary increases of MMDA employees, Abante said.

While lawmakers are not allowed to amend the budget while the plenary debates are ongoing, they can allocate unprogrammed funds, or budget from excess of government’s revenue.

“Actually although nabanggit na wala nang mga committee amendments, but still we are looking into unprogrammed funds, for example, to put into the budget of the MMDA,” Abante explained.

MMDA spokesperson Celine Pialago thanked the lawmakers who had pushed for an increase in the MMDA budget.

“We welcome all support for the agency including a proposal to increase MMDA’s budget particularly sa salaries ng Job Order personnel na up to now are earning about 8k a month without any benefit like SSS/GSIS, 13th-month pay, etc.,” Pialago said in a message to reporters.

The MMDA is the primary agency tasked with traffic management in Metro Manila.

Recently, the agency has drawn flak for the worsening traffic situation in Metro Manila, particularly in Edsa. The MMDA has blamed traffic congestion on higher vehicle volume.

In 2018, a study by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (Jica) said the country loses P3.5 billion worth of opportunities daily due to traffic congestion.

READ: MMDA again blames rising volume of vehicles for worsening Edsa traffic

READ: Jica: Traffic congestion now costs P3.5 billion a day

Several proposals have been made to decongest the roads, especially following reports that some patients being rushed to hospitals have died as ambulances are caught in heavy traffic. /muf

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