TOP officials of the Metro Manila Development Authority will go full throttle and personally man the monitors of closed-circuit television cameras on major thoroughfares in the National Capital Region.
This is to ensure, they said, that traffic schemes and other traffic regulations would be enforced effectively.
“In our Metro Base, the top 10 officers of the MMDA, including me, will [each] take turns two hours to stay there every day to [ensure traffic] efficiency,” said MMDA acting chairman Thomas Orbos.
He said the top officials would be valuable in monitoring traffic incidents on the road or traffic violations committed by motorists.
“Every two hours, there will be two officers a day beginning 6 a.m. up to 8 p.m. but there will be a break [from] 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.”
Orbos said officials came up with the new measure also for the MMDA to respond immediately during emergency situations such as stalled vehicles, traffic accidents, unauthorized road works and other activities on major thoroughfares where a quick management decision is needed.
“Sometimes our [monitoring] personnel didn’t see the urgency to act, and this is to respond immediately [to] certain things they see on camera, immediate decision the regular personnel cannot make and this has to be management decision,” he said.
The 10 officials designated to man the Metro Base Monitoring Center office are Orbos, assistant general manager for operations Julia Nebrija, deputy chairman Frisco San Juan Jr., Traffic Engineering Center chief Noemie Recio, Traffic Discipline Office head Cesar Ona;
Chief planning officer Josefina Faulan, chief legal officer Rochelle Ona, council secretariat Crisanto Saruca, Rescue Office head Edward Gonzales and Road Emergency Group head Manny Gonzales.
The MMDA has 45 personnel manning the Metro Base— five persons per shift in charge of monitoring footbridges for vendors, road incidents, traffic video wall operations and 10 persons per shift in charge of monitoring the operations of the no contact policy.
“We’d like it to be more intense, more concentrated especially now that we’re entering the Christmas season. We took it upon ourselves,” said Orbos.
There are to date 250 CCTV cameras in strategic areas in Metro Manila.
Meanwhile, the MMDA caught more than 5,000 motorists since it began in April implementing the no contact policy in arresting traffic violators in the metropolis using the CCTV cameras.
Most of those apprehended were drivers of public utility jeepneys, and city and provincial buses. They were caught loading and unloading passengers in prohibited zones.
Other violators were caught overspeeding, beating the red light, violating the number coding scheme, swerving, blocking intersections, disregarding traffic signs, making illegal turns, illegal overtaking, entering the yellow lane, defying the closed door policy and bus segregation scheme, among others.
The no contact policy was first implemented during the time of then MMDA chairman Bayani Fernando in 2007.
But the agency discontinued the practice following numerous complaints from motorists who claimed they were penalized without their knowledge.
The Metro Manila Council, the MMDA’s policy making body, in 2002 approved a resolution citing the need to improve the system of apprehending traffic violators by adopting a no contact policy in apprehending traffic violators thru the use of digital camera.
“Physical contact between the traffic enforcer and the driver during apprehension is an open invitation for graft and corruption,” the MMC said.
Under the new MMC resolution, the MMDA will send summons or notice to the vehicle’s owner or operator to identify the driver of the vehicle during the time the traffic violation was captured by the CCTV camera.
The notice which will be sent to the owner or operator contains the date, time, location and traffic violation.
It also contains a statement that the motorist has the right to contest the notice before the MMDA-Traffic Adjudication Division within seven days upon receipt of the summons.
Within 15 days from receipt of the adverse TAD resolution, the driver may still file a motion for reconsideration.
If the MR is denied, the driver may further file an appeal before the Office of the Chairman where the decision shall be final and executory.
The MMC resolution also said upon lapse of the seven-day period to contest the infraction, the MMDA will send the final notice to the owner or operator of the vehicle.
If the violator fails to pay the fine upon the receipt of the final notice, the MMDA will include the vehicle license plate in the Alarm List and will be forwarded to LTO.
The driver will not be able to renew the vehicle registration until the fines are settled.