The Metro Manila Development
Authority otherwise known as the MMDA, was established in the 1970s by the
Marcos presidency. Under Republic Act 7924, the MMDA was mandated to “The formulation, coordination, &
monitoring of policies, standards, programs and projects to rationalize the
existing transport operations, infrastructure requirements, the use of
thoroughfares, and promotion of safe and convenient movement of persons and
goods, provision for mass transport systems and the institution of a system to
regulate road users, and administration and implementation of all traffic
enforcement operations, traffic engineering services and traffic education
education programs, including the institution of a single ticketing system in
Metropolitan Manila.[1]”
The
MMDA’s programs are all designed in accordance with their mandate, they make
every effort to ensure that their programs are for the benefit of Metro Manila,
but ultimately, to the motorists that traverse the roads.
MMDA
has identified 7 major corridors in which they concentrate their efforts and
enforcement on. These are:
- · Commonwealth Avenue;
- · C-4 (EDSA);
- · R-10 (Radial Road 10);
- · C-5 (Circumferential Road 5);
- · Quezon Avenue;
- · Marcos Highway; and
- · Mc Arthur Highway.[2]
MMDA believes that concentrating their efforts
on these roads and increasing the funding on their development will impact the
lives of the Metro Manilans in a bigger way. Though these roads are fewer, they
are major thoroughfares.
The MMDA contributes to the traffic situation
in Manila in a positive way for a lot of reasons. They create programs that
ensure that the motorists have a concrete traffic regulation system to bank on.
They have enough personnel to regulate the 7 major corridors of Metro Manila, and
the rest of the major roads that they are deployed in. The leadership of MMDA
has a strict system of regulating their staff. Any employee who has been
reported or complained about is investigated and if necessary imposed with the
necessary sanctions. Each of their staff undergoes strict training seminars to
ensure that they understand the work that MMDA requires of them.
Problems regarding the effectiveness of their
enforcement appear at the lowest level of enforcers. Though the staff of MMDA
in the main office takes significant strides to ensure their credibility and
integrity, the traffic enforcers and their supervisors are exposed to the
lingering notion that they can be bribed. Based on interviews done by the MMDA
on their staff, they found that the motorists already try to get out of their
violations by giving bribes even when the officers are not asking for them
anymore. The reason why these enforcers accept bribes is the fact that they are
underpaid. MMDA, being subsidized by the government, is heavily reliant on any
funds that the government gives them. This creates a problem because the
enforcers need money to sustain their families.
Illegal terminals contribute to the traffic
situation and are connected to the MMDA problems because as stated above, the
enforcers are underpaid. These terminals give bribes to the enforcers to allow
them to conduct their operations in that area. Though the main office is taking
significant measures to combat these illegal terminals, they are still there.
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