MMDA regains traffic management over EDSA

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is back in leading law enforcement and management along Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) as Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) pulls out.

Previously, PNP-HPG took over their role along EDSA in September last year. MMDA will just take the position back starting November 7, as announced by MMDA Traffic Engineering Center (TEC) head, Neomie Recio, during her 41st-anniversary speech.

Included in the initial actions taken during the transition was the removal of steel barriers around Cubao and other portions of EDSA. This is part of the preparation to the synchronization, addressing perennial traffic problems under Phase 2 of Inter-Agency Council on Traffic's (I-ACT) effort to solve the metropolitan traffic. 

However, it was reported that she emphasized on a further note that they cannot promise to solve the already worse traffic but claimed that they will pull all the efforts they can to make vehicles move. 

According to PNP-HPG spokesperson Superintendent Elizabeth Velasquez, the transition will let the PNP-HPG concentrate on other major routes like C5 and Commonwealth Avenue. 

Moreover, Velasquez also stated that HPG members were able to train the taking over MMDA traffic enforcers under Chief Superintendent Antonio Gardiola before the takeover. 

Of note, MMDA remains to be under I-ACT, led by the Department of Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade. 

Source: Manila Bulletin