Is it time for a change for Metro Manila Traffic Enforcement?

                Metro Manila traffic is fast becoming the stuff of legends. Anyone who lives in the metro, whether you use public transportation or drive your own car, whether it is a short or lengthy travel, even sometimes when you are walking, one way or another you will get to experience the worsening traffic condition in the country capital. A more concrete proof of this worsening condition was proven by Waze, the traffic mobile application, who conducted in a recent survey using actual statistics derived from inputs from their users all around the world, concluding Metro Manila having “the worst traffic on Earth”. [1] It is definitely not the kind of survey that we want to be on top of but is there a solution from this very burdensome issue?

                Back in 1995, then President Fidel V. Ramos enacted R.A 7924 which created the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority or MMDA which was created in order to treat Metropolitan Manila as a special development and administrative region and will handle certain basic services affecting or involving Metro Manila and do it as a metro-wide service. With the MMDA handling such services it is aimed that services will be more efficiently and effectively planned, supervised and coordinated by this development authority but without prejudice to the autonomy of the affected local government units. [2] One of the scope of the services that MMDA was entasked to do under Sec 3b of the said act is to manage the transport and traffic conditions in the metro by formulating, coordinating, monitoring, and administrating and implementing all traffic enforcement operations in Metro Manila. Of all the tasks entrusted to the MMDA this one has been the subject of a lot of criticism towards the authority with the conditions of Metro Manila traffic now at its worst. But in a recent move made by President Noynoy Aquino back in September 2015, he appointed the Highway Patrol Group or the HPG [3] to take control and resolve the daily slow moving, a lot of times stagnant, traffic of EDSA, the main thoroughfare of Metro Manila. It was also noted that the HPG was the group responsible for the Metro Manila traffic prior to the creation of the MMDA in 1995.

                The reassignment of the HPG to handle the traffic in EDSA is a clear exercise of the President’s power to control and supervise all LGUs but does this move bring in to question the effectiveness of R.A. 7924 and the MMDA? Does it not mean that the MMDA is no longer equipped to handle the responsibility that was bestowed on it? Does the assignment of the HPG to handle the traffic in EDSA diminishes the purpose of the MMDA? Are we on the verge of needing a new legislative act that would help us resolve the worsening traffic in Manila?

                At this point the reassignment of the HPG by the President is showing a limitation on how the traffic issues in Metro Manila should be resolved. I believe that the traffic issues in Metro Manila cannot be resolved by just one even if he is the President of the country. With an updated legislative act to handle the Metro Manila traffic we can setup and find a way to work together and finally resolve this issue. With the new legislative we can perhaps re-visit the scope of responsibility of the MMDA or appropriate the necessary funds for them to properly exercise their duties or incorporate the HPG with the traffic operations. Also with the new legislative act we can also incorporate the management of the other modes of mass transportation like the LRT and MRT. Either way the issue of traffic in Metro Manila is slowly becoming too burdensome and too complicated for one person, department or authority to handle. Working together is the key here and relying on an old law which may no longer be appropriate for this day and age needs to be amended. Relying on our President and his power to control and supervise the LGUs under this situation may just be a higher form of finger-pointing. I believe the legislature should lend its hand on the issue and come up with a law that would better address the needs of the people now.            

[1] http://cnnphilippines.com/metro/2015/10/01/Metro-Manila-Philippines-worst-traffic-longest-commute-Waze-survey.html

[2] http://www.marina.gov.ph/policies/RA/ra7924.pdf

[3] http://cnnphilippines.com/metro/2015/09/03/Highway-Patrol-Group-takes-over-EDSA-traffic-management-on-September-7.html