PNP Highway Patrol Group to ‘restore sanity’ on Edsa

Philippine National Police chief Director General Ricardo Marquez. Photo courtesy of PNP PIO

Philippine National Police chief Director General Ricardo Marquez wants to bring back the “glorious days of Edsa” when motorists feared cops in boots, cowboy hats, and big bikes.

As the PNP takes the lead in managing traffic on one of Metro Manila’s major thoroughfare, Marquez said the PNP will work hard to “restore some level of sanity” on Edsa.

“We could only level to the expectation of the public. We cannot fail. Traffic has impacted the lives of the people already and we owe it to them. So expect that the HPG (Highway Patrol Group) will do its best to make sure that we restore some level of sanity at Edsa,” said Marquez in an ambush interview on Wednesday.

Starting Monday next week, police officers from the PNP-HPG will be seen on usually congested parts of Edsa after President Aquino tapped the PNP to lead a traffic law enforcement operations solving the perennial problem in the metropolis.

While the management of Edsa traffic is under the PNP, Marquez vowed to solve traffic jams, get rid of illegal terminals, and apprehend undisciplined drivers.

One of the ways to address this, according to Marquez and officials present during a meeting with President Aquino on Tuesday, is to bring back the days when cops were the “King of Edsa.”

“(Some of the highest government officials) said they would like to reminisce the days when big guys in Stetson hats, boots, and big bikes stand proud in the middle of an intersection. Because when motorists see them, everybody behaves.

“We’d like to bring back the glorious days of Edsa… Our role at Edsa has evolved from the “King of Edsa”  in some distance past to (just) an entity,” he said.

Aquino passed on to the PNP the primary task of manning Edsa and curbing traffic violations which had formerly been the role of the much-criticized Metropolitan Manila Development Authority led by Chairman Francis Tolentino.

The HPG leadership said close to 100 cops armed with handguns will be joining MMDA traffic enforcers on six chokepoints on Edsa including Balintawak in Caloocan City, Cubao in Quezon City, Ortigas Avenue in Pasig City, Shaw Boulevard in Mandaluyong City, Guadalupe in Makati City, and Taft Avenue in Pasay City. JE