MMDA takes down ‘Province of China’ tarpaulins in Quezon City

MANILA, Philippines — The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) yesterday took down a tarpaulin, which referred to the Philippines as a province of China, that was hung from a footbridge in Quezon City.

MMDA traffic czar Bong Nebrija said traffic enforcers spotted the tarpaulin along Quezon Avenue in before 3 p.m. yesterday and asked his permission to take it down.

Similar tarpaulins were taken down nearly a year ago, he said.

“We don’t know the motive of the people who put them up – maybe to discredit the administration, we don’t know,” Nebrija said.

Six tarpaulins were hung along Quezon Avenue, España Boulevard, Tramo street and Airport Road in Pasay, C5 Road and Commonwealth Avenue and taken down by the MMDA in July last year.

The MMDA has yet to identify the persons behind the hanging of the tarpaulins. Nebrija said no one was caught by closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras putting up the tarpaulins.

Nebrija said they spotted only one tarpaulin yesterday afternoon.

“We alerted all traffic enforcement district to monitor any kind of tarpaulins along the footbridges and roads in their area of responsibility. So far, no other have been reported,” he said.

Nebrija said a CCTV camera was installed on the footbridge itself, but it was trained on the street to monitor the traffic situation and not the bridge itself.

Nebrija urged the public to take down the tarpaulins as he emphasized that it is everybody’s patriotic responsibility and not the MMDA’s alone.