AFTER more than three decades, former officials of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) still see the agency as relevant as it was when they established it during the Martial Law days.

The MMDA celebrated Friday its 34th anniversary with former First Lady and first ever Metro Manila governor Imelda Marcos and Vice Governor Ismael Mathay Jr. as guests.

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The former First Lady of the late President Ferdinand Marcos, who graced the occasion in her classic Filipiniana gown, ruled as governor of the Metro Manila Council (MMC) while Mathay served as her vice governor.

The MMC was created during the Martial Law days in 1975 by virtue of a presidential decree creating the Metropolitan Manila Area (MMA) and the Metropolitan Manila Commission (MMC) to manage the affairs of the country’s premier urban center.

The MMA was comprised of 17 local government units, namely: Manila, Quezon, Pasay, Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela, Marikina, San Juan, Mandaluyong, Makati, Taguig, Paranaque, Las Pinas, Pateros, Pasig, and Muntinlupa, the same number of localities now under the MMDA.

The creation of the MMC was prompted by the increasingly clamor for effective solutions to nagging problems affecting many if not most of the local jurisdictions comprising the metropolis, such as the alarming increase in slum areas, traffic congestion, environmental degradation, crime, flooding, and lack of affordable housing.

“We had it built for the survival of the towns in Metro Manila,” Marcos said. “No country or city can survive without being dependent on each other.”

“They are inter-dependent to each other. There should be more unity, more oneness to make Metro Manila a habitat for humanity,’ she said, in apparent dig to LGUs who prefer to do things own their own,” she added.

Before the MMC was formed, Marcos narrated that the administration of the late strongman had to map up a solution that could solve the various problems brought about by increasing urbanization of the metropolis.

“At that time, there was no (potable) water, garbage was everywhere and the condition of the esteros was bad. Untreated water was running towards the Pasig River, and Laguna de Bay and Manila Bay. We had to create the office of the MMC to find solution for these problems,” she said.

Marcos said more than three decades have passed and these problems still remain a major cause of concern of all local government units in Metro Manila.

Mathay, a former Quezon City mayor and former head of the MMC, gave credit to current MMDA chairman Bayani Fernando for his various accomplishments during his term.

He cited the MMDA’s road widening effort in Commonwealth and clearing of sidewalk vendors along busy roads in almost all LGUs in Metro Manila as one of the highlights of Fernando’s list of accomplishments.

“Under his leadership, Edsa was cleaned up. Yung commonwealth, how can you expand it to ten lanes on each direction. That’s the widest thoroughfare in the entire country today,” Mathay said.

For his part, Fernando thanked his predecessors and vowed to continue the agency’s numerous projects. (AH/Sunnex)