INQUIRER file photo
MANILA, Philippines — Metro Manila mayors are set to meet to talk about the recent Supreme Court ruling invalidating their authority to issue traffic violation receipts.
The meeting comes as San Juan City Mayor and Metro Manila Council (MMC) President Francis Zamora cautioned against possible havoc resulting from the decision.
He sees trouble if traffic enforcers of local government units (LGUs) will abruptly cease issuing tickets.
MMC is a council consisting of the mayors of 16 cities and a lone municipality in the National Capital Region.
“The Metro Manila mayors will convene, and we will have a serious discussion, along with the heads of our traffic and parking management offices,” Zamora said in a radio interview on Wednesday over DZRH.
“This will be a big problem if the LGUs are indeed required to stop issuing tickets,” he warned.
Zamora said traffic enforcers in San Juan will still operate under the status quo amid the Supreme Court’s ruling.
“That’s why we need to also communicate with the other mayors because we can’t just stop everything now,” he explained.
“It would cause chaos all over Metro Manila if that happens,” Zamora predicted.
The local government official told INQUIRER.net in a text message that mayors are awaiting the meeting notice from the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
In a 41-page decision made public on Monday, the High Tribunal declared only MMDA has the exclusive power to formulate policies on road traffic in the National Capital Region.
The decision likewise prohibited the confiscation of licenses by traffic enforcers of individual LGUs.
Zamora noted some Metro Manila LGUs have their own traffic rules, including number coding schemes, which the Supreme Court’s decision effectively snuffed out.
Despite his concerns, San Juan City’s mayor said if the Court’s ruling is final, LGUs will respect the decision.
The resolution covers traffic ticketing ordinances of Makati, Taguig, Parañaque, Pasay, Quezon City, San Juan, Navotas, Las Piñas, Pasig, Muntinlupa, Mandaluyong, Valenzuela, Caloocan, Manila, and the municipality of Pateros.