MMDA to strictly enforce bus-tagging scheme, fines on Monday

MANILA, Philippines—The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority will start apprehending on Monday drivers of city buses found violating the agency’s vehicle-tagging scheme.

MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino said first-time violators will be fined P500 while second-time violators face cancellation or suspension of their bus franchises with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board.

The MMDA started implementing the scheme last week but violators were only given warnings.

“But this time we will be very strict in the enforcement of this resolution. Any city bus caught violating the scheme shall be meted [out] appropriate sanctions,” Tolentino said.

The Metro Manila Council—the MMDA’s policy-making body composed of the 17 mayors in the metropolis—approved the scheme in February, a re-implementation of a previous resolution authorizing the agency to implement vehicle tagging on all registered and franchised public utility vehicles plying major and secondary roads in Metro Manila.

By October, the MMDA intends to expand the tagging program to include other PUVs such as provincial buses, AUVs (Asian utility vehicles), school shuttle services, taxis and cargo trucks.

The vehicle tagging scheme aims to track down “colorum” and out-of-line PUVs and improve the agency’s traffic monitoring and surveillance operations.

It is also expected to facilitate easy tracking and identification of traffic violators because the license plates of the PUVs will be painted prominently on the roof of the vehicles, making it easy for the MMDA’s closed circuit television cameras to identify them.