MMDA to let go of ‘minor violations’ during holidays

MANILA, Philippines — In anticipation of the expected heavy vehicular traffic in Metro Manila during the holiday season, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will focus on traffic management, which could mean letting go of “minor violations.”

“Our traffic enforcers will prioritize traffic management, and as usual they can let go of minor offenses,” MMDA Chairman Romando Artes said in a briefing at the MMDA main office in Pasig City on Oct. 16.

Traffic enforcers will not issue citation tickets for “minor offenses” such as swerving, he pointed out.

However, the MMDA will determine the “minor violations” that traffic enforcers can forgive “on a case-to-case basis,” Artes said.

Aside from this policy, MMDA traffic enforcers will be deployed until midnight instead of the usual 10 p.m. end of duty starting Nov. 18.

The date would also see some measures reinstated, such as the adjustment of shopping mall operating hours, limited schedule of deliveries for malls and a temporary ban on road diggings.

Meanwhile, Artes said the MMDA is also preparing for the observance of Undas or All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. 

Under the agency’s “Oplan Undas 2024” from Oct. 27 to Nov. 4, a total of 1,257 MMDA personnel will be sent to bus terminals, cemeteries and major roads in Metro Manila to perform emergency response, cleanup, road clearing and monitoring efforts.

During the period, the agency’s traffic enforcers are not allowed to file absence and take day off, he said.