MMDA chief on traffic: I was also a victim

MANILA, Philippines - Me, too.

Chairman Francis Tolentino of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said he too was stuck in traffic on Tuesday night as well as yesterday morning on EDSA.

He was on his way to the ABS-CBN studios for an interview with host Karen Davila on ANC’s Headstart at 8 a.m.

When he failed to make it on time, Davila decided to conduct the interview by mobile phone.

He was also stuck in heavy traffic for four hours on Tuesday night following a heavy downpour, Tolentino said.

While stuck in traffic, he was coordinating with the MMDA’s flood control office to send pumps to the flooded areas, he added.

The MMDA is not at odds with the Highway Patrol Group, Tolentino told Davila during the interview.

He praised the HPG for its traffic management in Balintawak in Quezon City and for cooperating with the MMDA on traffic management.

“You can see that even during the papal visit, I said then that the MMDA and HPG must jointly escort the pope and we did that,” he said in Filipino. “There was seamless coordination and the pope was safe.”

He does not see as MMDA’s weakness in performing its traffic management tasks as the reason President Aquino took away traffic management functions on EDSA from the agency and gave it to the HPG, Tolentino said.

He lauded the HPG for a “job well done,” particularly in easing traffic flow in the Balintawak portion of EDSA previously blocked by vendors and other obstructions.

“This is not a sign of weakness, “ he said.

“But I think this is a sign of organizational humility, so to speak. That one organization cannot do it alone. We have to reach out to other organizations. I congratulate the HPG for a job well done in Balintawak. That is a hard part. So we should continue to support the HPG and the other LGUs (local government units).”

It was his idea to tap the help of the HPG in traffic management on EDSA, Tolentino said.

“I did everything and I did my best,” he said.

“I gave my life 24/7 to MMDA but we cannot solve traffic alone. I was the one who recommended that the Highway Patrol Group be put on board because people are more afraid of the police.”

A car accident on EDSA that triggered a vehicle buildup caused him to fail to make it to the Headstart interview, Tolentino said in a text message.

Tolentino arrived at the ABS-CBN compound at 9 a.m. after the show had already ended, according to an ABS-CBN report. Davila later posted a photo of her with Tolentino on Twitter at a coffee shop inside the compound.

The photo was captioned “Na-TRAFFIC si @MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino & didn’t make it to #ANCHeadstart but he came!”

‘Resign’

Tolentino must resign as he has become less effective in dealing with the severe traffic congestion in Metro Manila, Valenzuela City Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian said yesterday.

He can then turn his full attention to his senatorial campaign, according to House of Representatives committee on Metro Manila development vice chairman.

The HPG has shown political will in bringing back order and discipline in the heavily congested EDSA, where MMDA traffic enforcers have been manning traffic for more than a decade now, Gatchalian said.

A petition on change.org calling for Tolentino’s resignation has over 6,000 supporters as of yesterday.

“They (HPG) have shown to the public that something concrete could be done to ease the traffic situation in EDSA,” he said.

The worsening traffic jams in Metro Manila and other urban areas are another sign of the administration’s insensitivity, according to Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, leader of the independent bloc in the House.

“These road works in Metro Manila and other cities were not decided overnight but were planned as well as the warning of erratic weather, so why wasn’t there any contingency to prepare for all these?” he said.

“This means they just don’t care for the welfare of our students, workers, who commute every day. The administration should show compassion in their remaining months in power.”             – With Paolo Romero