No rest day for MMDA enforcers on Dec. 21-24

MMDA traffic constables can forget about going on leave as it’s all hands on deck in the four days leading to Christmas Day. —RAFFY LERMA

Enforcers of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will be in full force in the days leading up to Dec. 25 as part of efforts to manage heavy holiday traffic on Edsa.

In a statement on Sunday, the MMDA said it would implement a “no day off, no absent” policy for all its traffic enforcers between Dec. 21 and Dec. 24.

MMDA General Manager Tim Orbos said district officers would also augment command and control on choke points on Edsa (between Timog and Ayala Avenues) starting today (Monday).

He added that traffic enforcers were instructed to make apprehensions on the ground to discipline motorists “but in such a way that it [would] not hamper the flow of traffic.”

Additional handheld radios would also be given to enforcers to foster quick communication and response, Orbos said. According to him, violators who were not flagged down would still be issued traffic violation tickets through the agency’s no-contact apprehension policy.

As of Nov. 9, the MMDA had recorded a total of 166,357 vehicles passing through Edsa. Of the total vehicular volume count, 132,667 were private cars.

The MMDA noted a 3.17-percent increase from last year’s vehicular volume count taken on Dec. 21, 2015, where 161,248 vehicles were recorded with private cars also making up the bulk. -Erika Sauler