MMDA cracks down on private cars

MANILA, Philippines — After receiving backlash for cracking down on buses and letting private cars breeze through EDSA, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) traffic czar Bong Nebrija yesterday berated car drivers for using the highway’s yellow bus lane to overtake. 

In his Facebook Live video taken underneath the Metro Rail Transit Line 3’s Boni station, Nebrija said discipline is the key to solving Manila’s horrific traffic problem. He made the comment after catching drivers of private and public vehicles violating the yellow lane yesterday morning.

“Kawalan talaga ng displina problema natin. Itong mga private vehicles, ganun din. Hinaharangan din yellow lane natin. Paano makakausad public utilty buses na ito (Our problem is lack of discipline. It is also the case with private vehicles. They block the yellow lane. How can public utility buses move)?” Nebrija said.

Car and motorcycle drivers told Nebrija that they were going to load fuel at the nearest gasoline station, an excuse that Nebrija did not buy.

Nebrija said he could not single out city buses anymore, after seeing private car drivers who were also traffic violators.

“Tingnan niyo, magagandang kotse yan, imposibleng hindi edukado itong mga ito. Pero ganun din, pasaway (Look these are nice cars, it’s impossible for the drivers not to be educated. But just the same, they are incorrigible),” Nebrija said.

Nebrija said yesterday’s traffic incident only showed that bus drivers are not to blame alone for the EDSA gridlock, a softer stance from when he blamed public utility buses for not following the bus lane.

“Now you see the problem. Ang problema natin, tayong lahat. Disiplina ang kailangan (The problem is all of us. Discipline is needed),” he said.