‘Give Highway Patrol Group a chance’

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang appealed to the public yesterday to give the Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group (HPG) a chance to improve traffic in Metro Manila, particularly along the chronically congested EDSA.

At the same time, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. called on the people to cooperate with law enforcers and obey traffic rules and regulations.

Members of the HPG are currently undergoing a seminar to effectively manage traffic in the metropolis, and they admitted that their additional task was more challenging than addressing carjacking.

They said the need to enforce discipline among motorists in Metro Manila was not just a matter of arresting them.

In a press briefing, Coloma said President Aquino’s move to tap the HPG to clear the chokepoints along EDSA should be taken positively because effective law enforcement was an important component in addressing the problem of traffic congestion.

“The Philippine National Police is aware of that and it is determined to improve the enforcement of traffic laws,” Coloma said, noting that if there were unpleasant experiences before, they would serve as guide to improve the performance of their job now.

Coloma said the PNP would ensure that these bad incidents would not be repeated and that its leaders would choose the most responsible and honest members of the HPG to carry out Aquino’s orders.

“Let us give them an opportunity to prove their effectiveness and integrity in serving (the public),” Coloma added.

Coloma explained that HPG members carried guns, being from the police force, and are also equipped with motorcycles and patrol cars, but this should not be cause for concern.

Coloma also said consultations were still ongoing with regard to other proposals to address traffic congestion.

He said Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) chairman Winston Ginez has been meeting with provincial and city bus operators, given their important role in ensuring smooth traffic flow.

According to Coloma, there are proposals being presented as to the routes for buses.

Coloma said port users were also being consulted so truck lanes could be fixed.

“There are many consultations being done so that before announcing any steps to be taken, these have already been studied carefully because for President Aquino, the support of the people is very important,” Coloma said.

“We want to ensure that the actions we will take will earn support from the public because if there is public support, the probability that these (measures) will succeed is higher,” he said.

“We cannot fail. We will try our level best to make sure that we restore some sanity at EDSA,” said PNP chief Director General Ricardo Marquez.

He said the PNP would relive the glory days of the hagad (motorcycle cop), HPG’s moniker in the past.

He recalled the mere presence of enforcers ready to go after traffic violators prompted better behavior from drivers.

Marquez said he attended the brainstorming on traffic management in Malacañang.

“We volunteered to help the MMDA (Metro Manila Development Authority) manage congested areas, especially Balintawak, Cubao, Ortigas, Shaw Boulevard, Guadalupe and Pasay-Taft along EDSA,” he added.

Marquez said the HPG will make sure that the intersection is not blocked and there is no counter-flow, and that buses stick to their yellow lane, among other traffic rules. He said actual deployment will be on Monday.

Marquez admitted HPG personnel to be deployed on EDSA need some additional training, such as motorcycle riding.

Clearing EDSA obstructions

Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson said the agency would give priority to commuter vehicles to improve traffic along EDSA as the department started placing lane markings last Wednesday to clear sidewalk vendors and other obstructions along the outer lanes.

Singson yesterday said Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)’s lane markings are meant to return the 1.5-meter easement of sidewalks to the pedestrians and commuters and clear them of illegal vendors.

He said clearing operations would be conducted along the 23.8-kilometer stretch of EDSA as a first step to reclaim the sidewalk from vendors and business establishments.

“I have long said that I am not anti-poor, anti-vendor but those illegal we have to push them out of the easement… such as along the EDSA-Taft Avenue during peak hours, the public vehicles are already on the third lane, so they are unable to utilize the other lanes. The sidewalks are being used by the vendors, car repair shops and even as parking lots of business establishments,” said Singson.

The budget for the sidewalk clearing would be sourced from the EDSA Road Improvement program.

The DPWH would be seeking assistance from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the concerned local government.

He added that they are assessing the causes of heavy traffic along EDSA to come up with solutions.

He pointed out that there is a big volume of cars plying the streets and solutions are needed for public utility vehicles and private cars as well.

“We think that we should have a new perspective and give priority to public transport,” Singson added.

Since the mass transport Metro Rail Transit (MRT) does not have enough trains, the DPWH chief said there is a need to maximize the capacity of public transport, particularly buses.

Singson said they would also be fabricating delineators so private vehicles would no longer enter the bus lanes, except when the vehicle has to make a right turn.

The DPWH would also have to discuss with the MMDA their U-turn slots that are “not functioning as planned” and only add to the traffic buildup.

He also advocated the clearing of alternate routes. These routes have to be identified by the MMDA and the local government, he said.

The MMDA should remove obstructions such as car repair shops, basketball courts and even barangay halls that have occupied the streets.

The frequency of turnaround of buses has been affected by the road gridlock.

Public buses used to run at 20 to 25 kilometers per hour and make six trips along EDSA in a day, but this has been reduced to two to three trips due to traffic. With Cecille Suerte Felipe, Evelyn Macairan, Robertzon Ramirez, Paolo Romero