35 MMDA employees lauded

MANILA, Philippines - Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Francis Tolentino yesterday commended 35 members of the agency’s Metro Parkway Clearing Group (MPCG) who were injured in the line of duty.

Tolentino pinned “Marangal” patches to the MPCG personnel, mostly street sweepers in major thoroughfares in the metropolis.

“These MPCG workers did their duty with selfless dedication in line with the MMDA’s thrust of providing prompt and quality service to the public,” he said.

The “Marangal” badge is part of the agency’s merit award system that fetes employees who have shown dedication and exemplary performance.

Representing the acronym MMDA, the “Marangal” (noble) patch is given to employees who perform their duties in the face of danger, “Matapat” (honest) to those who return lost wallets, and “Disiplinado” (disciplined) to those who perform their jobs well and display courtesy in public.

Employees who are recipients of the three patches are awarded with P50,000 cash.

The awardees, 13 of them women, have met accidents while on duty from January 2011 to March this year, according to MMDA administrative service director Lydia Domingo.

Of the 35 awardees, 22 were sideswiped by private cars and taxicabs, eight were hit by motorcycles, while one was bumped by a passenger jeepney. Two others were hit by uprooted trees while one contracted leptospirosis after doing cleanup operations.

On Tuesday, another MPCG worker was hurt when he was hit by a dump truck along New York street in Cubao, Quezon City.

Felipe Bernardo remains confined at the East Avenue Medical Center, the MMDA said.

Tolentino advised MMDA employees to take extra precautions while on duty.