IT was like a scene from a movie.
Residents of Natividad and Fugoso Streets in the third district of Manila cheered on as two congressmen -Joel Chua (3rd district) and Rolan Valeriano (2nd district) rushed to their side as MMDA personnel were trying to conduct clearing operations in the area which, according to the lawmakers, no longer fall under the agency’s jurisdiction.
Valeriano is the chairperson of the House committee on Metro Manila Development.
“Bastusan na itong ginagawa ng MMDA” was how Chua and Valeriano described the operations of the MMDA in non-Mabuhay lanes, thus causing a commotion between the residents and the Congressmen on one hand and the MMDA personnel on the other.
The two congressmen rushed to aid the residents whose vehicles were then being seized by MMDA enforcers in an area where the MMDA is not supposedly allowed to operate. Incidentally, Chua said he was on his way to an appointment near the area and his vehicle was passing by when he noticed the commotion and got out of his car.
Chua said he confronted the MMDA enforcers to question their jurisdiction because the roads where he found them conducting their operations are not among the Mabuhay lanes anymore.
According to Chua, Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna has already previously told MMDA to coordinate with the city traffic bureau and barangays, but the agency has been merely informing Manila by sending pictures of their operations after the fact, not prior, for proper coordination.
He particularly took pity on a Grab driver that the MMDA accosted, stressing that MMDA operation was not within MMDA jurisdiction, the concerned Grab driver was working, earning for his family, and that the vehicle he was driving was most likely just on loan.
“Kawawa naman ‘yung taong naghahanapbuhay at ipinangutang pa malamang (yung sasakyan),” he told an interview.
For his part, Valeriano said MMDA is even seizing vehicles at carwash establishments, adding: “Parang carnapping na ‘yung ginagawa nila.”
Valeriano has invited the MMDA to attend the hearing scheduled on March 8, 2023, so it can explain to the committee why it is operating even on non-Mabuhay lanes.
Chua has earlier sought the abolition of the MMDA, saying, among others, that it encroaches on the jurisdiction of local government units.
If you are wondering who blinked in the said konfrontasi, it’s not the Congressmen who stood their ground.
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THANKS MPD-STATION 9 AND BARANGAY 755 IN MANILA
On Friday evening, a relatively small car being driven by a male employee was sideswiped by a speeding truck while taking a turn on Zobel Roxas Street in Manila.
Policemen from the Manila Police District-Station 9 headed by Col. Salvador Tangdol were quick to respond to the scene to do their job. This is perfectly in line with the kind of service being espoused by MPD chief PBGen. Andre Dizon himself.
The occupant of the car thus wishes to thank those who assisted him all the way. These kind of policemen — Cpl. Antonio Agustin, Cpl. Mark Louie Saupan and Sgt. Luis Macalagay– who were patient enough to allow both parties to settle and when they finally did, the same cops accompanied them to the nearest barangay hall to formalize the agreement reached.
Once there, Ms. Larizza Padrones, Barangay Secretary of Barangay 755, Zone 82, District 5, quickly responded, wrote everything on the barangay blotter and assisted both parties with a smile, even if it was already wee hours of the morning.
Kudos to the MPD-Station 9 cops and to Barangay 755 headed by Chairman Alvin Angeles for being such reliable public servants. It’s people like them who help the public trust in government.
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