MMDA extends duty hours of traffic enforcers for holiday season

An MMDA traffic enforcer on the job. RAFFY LERMA / INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Wednesday announced that the duty hours of its traffic management personnel had been extended for the coming holiday season.

MMDA Acting Chairman Romando Artes said the duty hours of the agency’s Traffic Discipline Office personnel had been extended until midnight in response to the 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. adjusted operating hours of malls and shopping centers in Metro Manila.

He added that enforcers are also ordered to prioritize traffic management, while an apprehension of simple and light traffic violations which may hamper traffic flow will be minimized as necessary.

“Our primary duty and priority is to manage traffic first before apprehending erring motorists. We don’t allow the practice of waiting for motorists to violate traffic rules before flagging them down,” said Artes.

“However, to avoid impeded traffic flow, minor violations like swerving could be exempted on a case-to-case basis except for distracted driving and number coding,” he added.

Traffic enforcers were also ordered to avoid grouping and the unnecessary use of mobile phones while on duty except when reporting traffic situations or accidents in their areas of assignment.

Meanwhile, Artes said the activities of MMDA field personnel will be monitored by security cameras located at the MMDA Operations Monitoring and Control Center (Metrobase) to ensure that the policy and guidelines in their ranks shall be strictly implemented.

Artes also ordered road work contractors to put steel plate covers on excavation sites, under the moratorium on road diggings, to ensure safe and smooth traffic flow during the holiday season.

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