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Friday, March 29, 2024

PNP to aid LGU crackdown on road obstructions

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The Philippine National Police will assist local government units in the campaign to clear national roads of traffic obstructions, in line with the recent directive of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Mayors in Metro Manila were given a 45-day ultimatum to crack down on illegal parking and other road obstructions in the metropolis or face sanctions or suspensions.

“The directive of President Duterte is clear. Clean the streets and let the public use public facilities. Anarchy must be contained. It ‘s about time the country starts cleaning itself up,” said Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, director of the National Capital Region Police Office.

He said the NCRPO is also committed to support Duterte’s order to reclaim public lands from unscrupulous persons who have made these lands private for their own use. 

Meanwhile, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte on Friday likened the clean-up of her city to a “marathon, not a sprint.”

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She said Quezon City is four times bigger than any other city or municipality in Metro Manila, and also has a lot of public markets compared to other localities.

“People seem to forget that other local governments are much smaller than Quezon City,” she said in an interview over dzMM radio. “I’m begging for the indulgence of our listeners given this situation. However, we are acting on it already.”

“This is a marathon, not a sprint. It is very important that we would have a proper plan, (and) that we have full information… that we bring in the help of the stakeholders, the citizens, (and) especially the barangays,” said Belmonte, who was QC vice mayor in the last nine years.

She said she would convene the traffic management council to “plot out a strategy and designate a point person to provide periodic updates,” and directed an inventory of the 400 traffic enforcers under the Department of Public Order and Safety.

The mayor promised to go out into the streets to restore road order.

Eleazar assured the NCRPO will give ample support to the clearing teams of the local government units, the Metro Manila Development Authority and Department of Interior and Local Government.

The NCRPO chief said first, his men will “protect and defend members of the clearing teams from possible irate persons plying their trade in public lands.” 

“Second, to monitor and disuade these violators from coming back and use the public properties again. Historically, clearing efforts by the MMDA show that these violators come back to do their thing again. The police will be more active and aggressive in confronting these  violators,” he added.

Metro Manila Council resolution No. 02-28, which was approved in 2002, authorizes the MMDA, the National Police and the LGUs to clear the sidewalks, streets, avenues, alleys, bridges, parks and other public places of all illegal structures and obstructions to effect the smooth flow of traffic in NCR. 

The MMC came up with that resolution after observing that “public places in Metro Manila are not properly utilized by the road users due to malpractices of some unscrupulous individuals who wantonly utilize these areas for displaying and vending their goods as well as utilizing the same in erecting some structures for commercial and advertising purposes.”

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