MMDA set to field flood constables

MANILA, Philippines - The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority will deploy traffic constables to help motorists navigate through flood during heavy rains, an MMDA official said yesterday.

Emerson Carlos, MMDA assistant general manager for operations, said the traffic constables to be deployed in flood-prone areas will determine which part of the road is still passable to ensure the continuous flow of traffic in flooded streets.

“The traffic constable will measure the height of the water in flooded streets,” he told radio station dzBB.

Earlier, MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino said at least 200 traffic enforcers would be deployed in three shifts.

He said with ongoing road repairs in key areas in Metro Manila, the agency expects traffic buildup during heavy rains.

“The new traffic enforcers will help to ease traffic,” he said.

The MMDA chief said that the Department of Public Works and Highways has yet to complete 39 drainage projects in the metropolis, aside from several infrastructure projects being undertaken especially along Osmeña Highway that contributed to heavy traffic in Makati, Manila and Pasay.

Tolentino said the deployment of the traffic enforcers on the night shift is in response to the traffic jams on EDSA and C-5 Road at the height of a heavy downpour last Thursday.