Saturday, March 29, 2008 MMDA, metro mayors resolve traffic ticketing issue
THE Metro Manila mayors on Friday unanimously approved the Metro Manila Council (MMC) resolution that practically gave recognition to the local traffic ticket being enforced by the local government units (LGUs) and set aside the single ticketing system under Executive Order (EO) 712 earlier issued by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Metro Manila Mayors League president and Mandaluyong City Mayor Benjamin "Benhur" Abalos Jr. said the mayors agreed to recognize the Ordinance Violation Receipts (OVRs) of the LGUs while at the same time honoring the traffic enforcement powers of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on all national roads in the metropolis as a matter of compromise agreement.
"Single ticketing system is a matter of how you interpret it. It could be uniform, it could be different tickets with reciprocity and harmony," Abalos said after the two-hour long MMC meeting at the office of MMDA chairman Bayani Fernando in Makati City.
Mayors who attended the meeting were Vergel Aguilar of Las Piñas, Sigfrido Tinga of Taguig, Wenceslao Trinidad of Pasay, Enrico Echiveri of Caloocan, Tobias Tiangco of Navotas, Joseph Victor Ejercito of San Juan, Quezon City Vice Mayor Herbert Bautista who represented Mayor Feliciano Belmonte, and other representatives of LGUs.
Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay who was vocal against EO 712 only sent City Attorney Violeta Seva to the meeting.
Abalos said they have formed a technical working group (TWG) composed of various traffic agencies to come up with a recommendation on other pressing issues within a 30-day period.
He said a status quo will be observed during the 30-day period, wherein OVR tickets to be issued by the LGUs and Traffic Violation Receipts being issued by the MMDA will both be honored.
The mayors have also delineated the function of the MMDA, allowing it to enforce its own traffic rules and regulation within the national road, with the LGUs maintaining their own enforcers within the local roads.
On the clamor of transport groups to harmonize traffic rates, Abalos said they have already synchronized 40 percent of traffic rates and are still reviewing the rates imposed by other localities.
But this early, Abalos said some LGUs cannot simply reduce traffic fines, owing to the complexity and nature of traffic situations in some areas.
He cited the case in Makati, which he admits, commands uncharacteristically high rates because of its unique traffic situation.
Abalos also said the mayors will be honoring all traffic tickets issued by other LGUs. "Traffic enforcers who will not adhere to this agreement will be fired," he said.
Fernando, who presided the meeting and visibly not ecstatic about the decision, nonetheless said he accepts the decision of the mayors despite the rejection of the MMDA-administrated Metropolitan Traffic Ticket.
"I'm happy that this entire thing has been set in motion. It's going to harmonize everything, so that the complaints or difficulties being faced by the road users can be properly addressed and the administrative aspect of it," Fernando said.
He said the MMDA will continue to follow the rates of the Land Transportation Office (LTO).
Asked if the mayor's decision resulted in the actual rejection of EO 712, Fernando said no.
"EO 712 rejected? No, this talk actually is brought about by that executive order. There has been a decision before by the council that doesn't seem to work well with the transport group, they have some complaint about it, with EO 712, it gave us the opportunity to revisit all these things," Fernando said.
The MMDA chairman said not all his expectation has been satisfied, but in the overall, he expects the decision to work for the good of everybody.
He said there was no animosity among the mayors despite the difference of opinions.
"Everybody was trying to find the better option. Each of us has its own responsibility, then the mayors have their own constituency and interest to protect, that's why we have this council, that's where these differences can be settled," he said.
Meanwhile, the TWG is composed of traffic officials from the LGUs, representatives from the MMDA, LTO, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) and the public transport sector.
The TWG would come up with a uniform and harmonized schedule of fees and penalties, which the MMC would adopt in a resolution within 30 days after the submission.
Fernando said the TWG would be tasked to formulate the implementing rules and regulations of the proposed MMDA resolution adopting the OVR as the uniform traffic management code and harmonizing traffic fines and penalties.
Various transport groups, which staged a Metro Manila-wide strike, recently, also demanded a reversion to the single ticketing system due to exorbitant fees and penalties being charged them by the different LGUs. (AH/Sunnex)
