"It is already part of our culture, our way of life as Filipinos na kung kayang bayaran, babayaran at kung kayang takasan, ay tatakasan (that we will always try to pay our way or run from our obligations). But they should realize that if they commit traffic violations they will be apprehended," Angelito Vergel de Dios, Executive Director of MMDA’s Traffic Operations Center (TOC), said.
Amid accusations that MMDA traffic enforcers continue to extort money from law abiding motorists, De Dios assured the public that the agency’s 2,000 traffic enforcers would not run after motorists who follow traffic rules.
"There is no need to flag down those who have not done any errors because there are already a lot of violators to apprehend," De Dios said, adding that statistics taken from a recent study conducted by the MMDA-Air Quality Office showed that about 28,000 violations are being committed daily by drivers.
But he clarified that the figure does not necessarily reflect the number of erring drivers because one driver could be slapped with several violations in a day.
The traffic agency also collects P100 million in fines annually or roughly P8.33 million a month. He said most of the offenses committed by drivers were related to road obstructions, with a P150 fine.
MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando has taken measures to reduce extortion incidents among traffic enforcers. In 2002, the agency launched the No Contact Traffic Apprehension (NCTA) by installing 38 digital cameras and several video cameras to catch drivers violating traffic rules in major thoroughfares.
The MMDA traces the owners of the vehicles caught on video or film and sends out letters demanding the corresponding payment for the violation. The owners are also warned that if the letter is ignored, the vehicle will be impounded.
De Dios admitted that some enforcers are still tempted to accept bribe money but only because the MMDA does not have enough cameras on the road yet.