General manager and acting chairman Thomas Orbos of the Metro Manila Development Authority reiterated his call on community leaders to free secondary roads in their areas from obstructions affecting the flow of traffic and compromise the safety of pedestrians.
Orbos made the appeal as the MMDA is preparing the filing of another administrative complaint at the Office of the Ombudsman against at least two barangay officials for negligence and not cooperating with the government’ campaign in clearing city streets of illegally-parked vehicles and other road obstructions.
The MMDA public information office, however, temporarily withheld the names of those who will be charged, but said that the filing of cases will bring to six the total number of barangay officials slapped by the agency since President Rodrigo Duterte directed Orbos to start filing charges against village officials who would be remiss on their duty.
“Holding them accountable for their inaction on such programs of national importance is only proper since they are ones on the ground who should safeguard the welfare of their constituents,” Orbos said.
Recently, Orbos and other MMDA officials conducted an inspection and had a dialogue with barangay officials and vendors in Barangay Baclaran at the boundary of cities of Pasay and Paranaque and discussed the government’s continuing campaign against all road obstructions to further ease traffic in Metro Manila.
“It has been long established that local village officials’ cooperation and support for the undertakings and projects of the national government is essential to make them a success. We only have to engage them again and remind them of their responsibility to implement and sustain these programs,” said Orbos.
Some motorists suggested that barangay officials should identify vacant spaces in their respective areas of jurisdiction which could be used by their constituents as common parking spaces for their vehicles.
A group of barangay officials in Makati City and Quezon City already pledged their support to the government’s sidewalk clearing and anti-illegal parking operations as part of the solution to ease traffic in Metro Manila.
Aside from the continuous clearing operations in their localities, Orbos said that barangay officials in two cities also agreed to write commercial establishments within their jurisdiction which are guilty of allowing vehicles to park illegally, particularly supermarkets and restaurants.
The clearing operation is also in close coordination with Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group, Department of the Interior and Local Government, and Department of Transportation.
Orbos said his agency is encouraging people to cooperate and report illegally-parked vehicles and other obstruction on major roads through its website MMDA “I Will Act” portal.
The MMDA chief also encouraged the public to post videos on the site.
The agency launched the social media reporting system in a bid to encourge the public and the private sector in reporting to the agency all traffic obstructions on all roads in Metro Manila.
The report should include the name of the sender and the actual picture including the detailed location where the illegally parked vehicle or the obstruction was spotted and the time when it was taken.
In 2015, the MMDA launched Mabuhay Lanes as alternate routes for motorists avoiding the congested Epifanio de los Santos Avenue.
But Task Force Mabuhay Lanes chief Ed Lara said the lack of cooperation from barangay officials hampers their campaign. He added some barangay officials failed to comply with the memorandum issued by the DILG ordering local government officials to cooperate in the clearing operations.