MMDA loses ‘traffic czar’ who tweets

The man behind the Twitter account of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and other technological upgrades that help the agency give traffic updates to the public has resigned.

Lawyer Yves Gonzalez has tendered his resignation from the agency’s Traffic Discipline Office to join a private company, MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino told reporters on Tuesday.

He was temporarily replaced by retired police general Francisco Manalo, who previously served as director of the Eastern Police District.

Manalo, the current Edsa Traffic and Transport Zone director, fills the vacancy while the MMDA is looking for a permanent replacement.

The resignation of Gonzalez, who was dubbed Metro Manila’s “traffic czar” in media reports, will take effect on May 30.

“We are grateful to have him for his technological inputs. His resignation is a big loss on our part,” Tolentino said.

Gonzalez was also the creator of the popular Twitter handle @PCOSmachine in the period leading to the 2010 elections. PCOS stands for precinct count optical scan.

He is mainly credited for bringing the power of Twitter and the social media to the MMDA.

Since 2010, he has headed the team running the Twitter account @MMDA and other projects like traffic-related applications for iPhone and other smartphones.