Watch out for fake MMDA enforcers

Counterfeit citation ticket issued to motorist Christopher Morante by a fake constable of the MMDA.  DEXTER CABALZA

Published: 6:13 p.m., March 27, 2018 | Updated: 12:39 a.m., March 28, 2018

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has warned the public to beware of fake traffic constables after a motorist filed a complaint on Monday.

The victim, Christopher Morante, told the MMDA that he was apprehended by “Traffic Constable III Gulong” for reckless driving on Edsa over the weekend. The offense carries a fine of P2,000.

Morante said Gulong, as the enforcer wrote his name on the citation ticket given to him, confiscated his driver’s license.

It was only when Morante tried to redeem his license at the MMDA office in Guadalupe, Makati City, on Monday that he found out the ticket was fake and there was no traffic constable named Gulong.

Poser exposed

“The agency does not have the motorist’s driver’s license. The person who apprehended him was not a legitimate traffic enforcer of the agency,” MMDA acting General Manager Jojo Garcia said on Tuesday.

Authentic tickets should have bright print, with its details and fine print not blurred and tampered. DEXTER CABALZA

In his complaint, Morante said the thought that he was dealing with a poser did not cross his mind because the suspect was wearing an MMDA traffic constable’s uniform.

However, since the suspect did not ask for any money from the victim and took only his driver’s license, the MMDA has yet to determine the fake enforcer’s motive for scamming Morante.

In order to determine whether an MMDA enforcer was legitimate, Garcia advised apprehended drivers to ask them for their “mission order,” a document indicating their official functions, place of assignment and time of duty.

Sample of mission order of an MMDA traffic enforcer. DEXTER CABALZA

“It is the responsibility of a traffic enforcer to carry his mission order at all times. If he does not bear his mission order, he is unauthorized to make apprehensions,” Garcia said.
Fake ticket paler in color
The counterfeit ticket issued to Morante was also paler compared to the authentic one.

One more tip to tell the real enforcers from the fake: The names of MMDA traffic constables are stamped on the ticket. In Morante’s case, “TCT Constable III Gulong” wrote his name down.

In addition, the carbon copy of the ticket with a bluish tint should be one given to the traffic violator, not the original copy.  /je /pdi

The carbon copy of the ticket with bluish tint should be the one issued to the erring motorist. DEXTER CABALZA