MMDA faces House scrutiny on footbridges

The chair of the House committee on transportation has asked the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to submit the plans of all existing footbridges in the capital, following the wave of criticism hurled at the P10-million steel footbridge—derided as a dangerous “stairway to heaven”—being built on Edsa.

“If we are to pour in millions (of pesos) of taxpayers’ money (into these projects), we have to do things right,” Catanduanes Rep. Cesar Sarmiento said at the start of a committee hearing on Wednesday.

“Otherwise, it’s double whammy,” he said. “We are not serving the people we are supposed to serve and we are wasting the people’s money.”

Sarmiento noted that netizens and pedestrians had criticized the design of the 10-meter-high steel overpass being built by the MMDA near the GMA-Kamuning station of the Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT 3) in Quezon City.

After initially insisting that it would not change the structure’s design, the MMDA agreed to do some modifications amid public uproar.

Aside from the footbridge’s height, its stairs have also drawn flak, with portions inclined by 45 degrees and may pose difficulties for the elderly and persons with disabilities (PWDs).

At its highest point, the footbridge is situated around 3 meters above the MRT 3 power cables.

“We (asked) the MMDA to inventory all existing and ongoing footbridges and apprise this committee of the design and construction standards pursuant to existing laws especially those for the promotion of the rights of PWDs who we often neglect,” Sarmiento said.