MMDA enforcers give commuter free ride

MANILA, Philippines - A woman who was running late for her appointment due to slow-moving traffic got a free ride from a traffic enforcer of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Friday morning.

In a Facebook post, Lani Tapia said she left their house at around 9 a.m. and rode a bus to get to an 11 a.m. appointment with a client at a mall in Pasay City.

She was still stuck along Gil Puyat Avenue in Makati City at around 10:30 a.m. 

Tapia said her client kept on asking where she was. “I told her I would not make it on time,” Tapia said in Filipino.

At around 10:45 a.m., Tapia got off the bus and approached two MMDA enforcers, whom she identified as Calope and Reyes, who were manning traffic in Malibay, Pasay City.

She said the enforcers initially thought she was victimized by snatchers. When she asked for their help to get to her appointment on time, Calope put his helmet on her and told Reyes to bring her to the mall.

Tapia reached the mall five minutes before her appointment. She said she offered Reyes P100 as a “simple token,” but he refused and said it is better to help someone without expecting anything in return.