MMDA needs 8,000 traffic enforcers to man NCR, but it has less than 2,500

MMDA personnel (File photo by NIÑO JESUS ORBETA / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

MANILA, Philippines —The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Wednesday admitted that it lacks the manpower to cover all the thoroughfares in Metro Manila.

The statement comes after a Supreme Court decision assigned the agency as the metro’s sole traffic enforcement body.

In a press conference, MMDA Acting Chair Don Artes told reporters that the agency currently employs about 2,500 traffic enforcers — far from an estimated 8,000 that would be needed to cover 16 cities and a lone municipality in Metro Manila.

“Our enforcers are a little less than 2,500. So imagine if every LGU has an enforcer of, let’s say, 500 on average. That’s 17 LGUs. So we need 8,000 enforcers to cover the entire NCR [National Capital Region]. That’s a big gap,” Artes said.

The High Tribunal’s decision made public on Monday declared that MMDA has exclusive power to formulate policies on road traffic in the NCR.

This means that enforcers from the local governments in Metro Manila will no longer be authorized to issue traffic violation tickets and confiscate licenses of erring drivers.

To make up for the needed manpower, Artes said his agency is currently in talks with local government officials on the possibility of deputizing their local enforcers with the MMDA.

The option was also made available by the Court decision, which said that “local governments in Metro Manila “may participate in [enforcement of traffic laws, rules, and regulations] only when the MMDA deputizes their traffic enforcers.”

As for the process for deputizing local enforcers, the MMDA official said they will still study whether or not they can automatically absorb the enforcers in their ranks.

“We just want to make sure that they are qualified and have proper training,” Artes said, noting that MMDA enforcers have to undergo seminars, and exams to be qualified for the job.

“But we do not claim that we are better. It’s not about that,” he clarified.

The MMDA official also told motorists in Metro Manila that the Supreme Court’s decision is not yet final and executory.

“So, to our fellow countrymen who are motorists, if you are apprehended by local traffic enforcers, do not argue with them and say that as per the Supreme Court, they are no longer allowed to issue tickets because [the decision] is not yet final and executory,” he advised travelers.

Artes explained the MMDA and Metro Manila’s local officials have 15 days to file a motion for reconsideration before the Court to air their side on the matter.

The MMDA and the mayors of Metro Manila are set to convene on Tuesday to address the issue in case the decision becomes final and executory, Artes added.