Metro Manila Council approves NBI ‘hit’ against jaywalkers

Remember our previous report about the MMDA wanting jaywalkers to get ‘hit’ in their records with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)? Well, looks like that will push through pretty soon as the Metro Manila Council (MMC), the governing and policy-making body of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), has approved the said proposal recently.

Now, before you sharpen your pitchforks and cry foul, take note that it isn’t as bad as it sounds. MMDA said that the NBI ‘hit’ would only affect those jaywalkers who have unsettled citation tickets.

According to a note posted by the MMDA Facebook Official Page, the MMC, which consists of 17 Metro Manila mayors, has given the MMDA the authority to enforce the anti-jaywalking ordinances in the local government units (LGU). As of this writing, the Metro Manila mayors have yet to sign the new resolution before implementation.

Currently, MMDA’s own anti-jaywalking policy includes a citation ticket wherein the violator would need to either pay a P500 fine or render community service. When this new policy gets approved and implemented, The names of those who will disregard the citation ticket would be forwarded to the NBI and will be added to the agency’s alarm list.

In addition to this, the LGUs have their own anti-jaywalking policies, which will be enforced by the MMDA moving forward. One example of a different local anti-jaywalking ordinance is in Quezon City wherein the fine is much smaller at P140. Valenzuela City, on the other hand, enforces a stricter anti-jaywalking policy that progresses from a P500 fine and 24 hours of community service up to P5,000 fine and imprisonment on the fourth violation.

If the said new policy would push through, failure to settle the citation ticket in both cities would result in the same consequence of getting an NBI ‘hit.’

For the uninitiated, having a ‘hit’ on your NBI records requires you to take extra steps and processes when getting an NBI clearance, which is a major requirement in most job applications.

Source: MMDA