Chairman Danilo Lim of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority has ordered the dismissal of two traffic personnel from the service for their alleged involvement in extortion in Makati City.
Lim’s directive came a day after traffic constables Darwin Reyes and Elmer Balunsat were arrested and detained by the police following a complaint by two food delivery drivers.
“We will not allow anyone to taint the good image of the agency. Both of them are automatically terminated from service. The agency has no room for this kind of traffic enforcers. Wrongdoings should never be tolerated,” he said.
Both traffic enforcers are on job order status.
Investigation showed that the two motorcycle riders were on their way to deliver food to their customers around 5 p.m. last Friday when they were flagged down by Reyes and Balunsat on the southbound loading and unloading bay section of EDSA-Ayala in Barangay San Lorenzo, Makati City, and demanded money, P500 and P100, in order for them to pass the thoroughfare.
Both food delivery riders yielded to the traffic enforcers’ demand but they quickly sought the assistance of the members of the Makati City Police who were conducting “Oplan Sita” at Arnaiz corner Park Square Drive and proceeded to the enforcers’ post.
The riders identified the two enforcers who extorted money from them that resulted to their arrest. Police were able to recover pieces of evidence–P500 and P100 bills–from their possession.
The suspects were detained at the Makati City Police headquarters pending the filing of appropriate charges against them.
MMDA traffic personnel and members of the Police-Highway Patrol Group are currently manning EDSA and other major thoroughfares in Metro Manila to monitor and apprehend motorists violating the Enhanced Community Quarantine protocol of the government.
The authorities confiscate licenses and issue citation tickets against erring drivers.
MMDA chief traffic enforcer Edison Nebrija Jr. described those apprehended by the agency’s traffic personnel and the HPG policemen as non-APOR (Authorized Person Outside Residence) or UPOR (Unauthorized Person Outside Residence) while the entire Luzon observed the ECQ to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease.