Rody orders flexi-time for government workers

MANILA, Philippines - President Duterte has ordered flexible working hours for national and local government employees to help solve the traffic nightmare in Metro Manila, an official said yesterday.

In a meeting with the metropolis’ 17 mayors, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) officer-in-charge Tim Orbos said Duterte has issued four presidential directives to ease traffic woes.

He said Duterte also wants Roxas Boulevard cleared of obstructions so motorists could use its service road, fines doubled for offenses such as illegal parking and number coding violation and a “nighttime commerce” policy implemented to allow trucks to use EDSA and other major roads at night.

Orbos said Duterte issued the directives during Monday night’s Cabinet meeting.

He said the MMDA and the mayors are threshing out the details of the directives and  will implement them after the Holy Week break.

Orbos said they will create a technical working group to come up with guidelines on how to implement Duterte’s orders.

Duterte also led the launch of the Metro Manila Crisis Monitoring and Management Center yesterday. The MMCMMC is an inter-agency system that will operate ’round-the-clock.

“We integrated flood and traffic monitoring and other crises that may arise in Metro Manila,” Orbos said.

He said the third floor of the MMDA’s Metrobase houses the MMCMMC.

Among the members of the center are the MMDA, Land Transportation Office, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, Highway Patrol Group and Department of Transportation.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines, Bureau of Fire Protection and the Metro Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Center are also part of the MMCMMC.

Orbos said the police is not part of the MMCMMC since it has its own monitoring system.