ACTING Chairman Thomas Orbos of the Metro Manila Development Authority will deploy additional men to augment the 300-man force assigned to man the already traffic-congested Epifanio de los Santos Avenue.
The move came a day after the MMDA took over from the Philipppine National Police-Highway Patrol Group full control and management of traffic along the 23.8-km highway.
“We will try to have 500 (traffic personnel) again. The difference is that we are using the CCTVs [closed-circuit television] more actively…we can detect, command and enforce more effectively with the use of technology.”
“But we have to stay there and we have to participate in the enforcement ourselves,” said Orbos, referring to the other scheme implemented by his agency where he and other officials personally man the monitors of CCTV cameras on major thoroughfares in the National Capital Region.
On Monday, the MMDA took over the Edsa traffic control from HPG personnel who will now concentrate in handling the traffic management and control on two other major roads in the metropolis—the Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City and the Circumferential Road-5 (C-5 Road or E. Rodriguez Ave.).
“We go back to basics, go back to what the MMDA is supposed to be, and its mandate it is supposed to work on. We define our roles in traffic especially now [that] there is an Inter-agency Council on Traffic that we are part of,” said Orbos.
“Just to be clear, the MMDA is still under I-ACT and we have to show them that we are worthy,” he added.
Asked why the HPG men were pulled out of Edsa, Orbos said “Our CCTVs cover the whole Metro Manila. The HPG are needed in other roads where there are illegal parking and colorum [vehicles].”
“I-ACT is confident and [they] allowed us here. The only problem before was there was no respect for enforcers and the people thought they could get through with it; but now we would strictly enforce the law,” said Orbos.
The HPG personnel will now concentrate in handling the traffic management and control in two other major roads in the metropolis—the Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City and the Circumferential Road-5.
Late last year, the HPG took over from the MMDA the traffic control on Edsa following the directive of then President Benigno Aquino III, who believed the presence of armed traffic enforcers would make a big difference.
Aquino also came up with the idea after observing the MMDA could not solve the road congestion on the highway from Monumento Circle in Caloocan City to President Diosdado Macapagal Blvd. in Pasay City.
But the MMDA under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte is now introducing new measures to improve the flow of traffic on EDSA, including the expanded number coding scheme without the so-called window hours.