SC orders MMDA: Answer petitions vs EDSA bus ban

MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court (SC) ordered yesterday the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority to answer three petitions questioning the MMDA’s policy banning provincial buses along EDSA.

In full session, SC magistrates decided to consolidate the petitions filed by AKO Bicol party-list Reps. Ronald Ang and Alfredo Garbin Jr., Albay Rep. Joey Salceda and Bayan Muna party-list that sought to declare null and void the still unenforced MMDA regulation.

The high court gave the respondents led by MMDA Chairman Danilo Lim and the Metro Manila Council (MMC) 10 days to submit their comment.

The MMC, composed of mayors in the National Capital Region, is the policy-making body of the MMDA.

The petitions specifically sought to strike down the assailed measure, which was approved by the MMDA to ease traffic congestion on EDSA and other major thoroughfares in the metropolis.

The petitioners cited the lack of consultations with bus operators and drivers as well as the thousands of commuters who will be affected by provincial bus ban.

The groups said the policy was void from the start because it is an exercise of police powers, which the MMDA and MMC do not possess.

The petitioners noted that police power is a legislative act, which means the ban on provincial buses along EDSA requires enactment of ordinances by local government units under the Local Government Code of 1991.

They said the planned closure of bus stations along EDSA is in violation of the Public Service Act, which requires public utility operators to maintain their own terminals as a requisite for their franchises.

The petitioners further argued that prohibiting provincial buses on EDSA would not solve the traffic problems in the metropolis.

Citing MMDA’s 2017 figures, they said more than 247,000 private vehicles, 12,000 city buses and only around 3,300 provincial buses pass along EDSA daily.

The militant Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU)  opposed the provincial bus ban.

The labor group said the planned closure of bus terminals on EDSA by the government would inconvenience workers and commuters.

The KMU said the riding public would be forced to pay additional fares to get rides going to EDSA.

Driver-only car ban

To achieve the “mathematically impossible” five-minute travel time from Cubao, Quezon City to Makati, the MMDA is targeting to reduce at least 100,000 vehicles traversing EDSA by December.

MMDA traffic chief Bong Nebrija said they are planning to revive the defunct policy, which bans driver-only vehicles on EDSA.

Nebrija said the scheme would reduce 30 percent or 100,000 of the 388,000 vehicles passing the highway daily.

 “With the carpooling policy, we are seeing around 100,000 vehicles ang mababawas sa EDSA,” Nebrija told reporters when asked how the MMDA can accomplish the five-minute travel time proposed by President Duterte. – With Robertzon Ramirez, Mayen Jaymalin