PNP to field 150 HPG cops to direct EDSA traffic

The Philippine National Police will be fielding 150 of its Highway Patrol Group policemen on EDSA as the PNP attempts to manage the horrendous traffic on the main thoroughfare.

PNP Director General Ricardo Marquez himself will brief the HPG policemen at Camp Crame at 4:30 a.m., Monday, before the policemen are deployed to chokepoints on the highway, according to the PNP.

Supt. Oliver Tanseco, the HPG spokesperson, said the public should expect a stricter implementation of traffic laws now that the police have taken over the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority’s duties on EDSA.

“There will be zero tolerance in the implementation of traffic rules. There will be no new laws or rules. We will simply strictly implement the existing traffic laws,” said the police official.

In recent months, traffic jams along EDSA and other main roads have gotten worse, causing massive inconvenience to motorists and commuters not only during rush hour, but at all times of the day.

The move to have the HPG handle the worsening traffic situation on EDSA is the government’s latest attempt at finding a solution to the problem.

The HPG earlier bared its plans to field big, burly traffic policemen to six chokepoints along EDSA to “scare” even the most hard-headed motorist into not violating traffic laws.

The HPG’s 150 policemen will be assigned to six key points along EDSA – Balintawak, Cubao, Ortigas Avenue, Shaw Boulevard, Guadalupe and Taft Avenue.

Originally, the HPG planned to deploy just 96 officers but Tanseco said they increased the deployment to 150 after a recent assessment.

“We conducted dry runs, and saw the need for more policemen. We saw that there are many entry and exit points at the chokepoints, so we added more policemen. We might add more,” Tanseco said.

The public can expect to see the policemen on their patrol cars and motorcycles, doing their job as early as 5 am.

Tanseco added that the HPG would be on EDSA 24/7, with the deployment based on shifts and on the traffic situation on the ground.