Transfer MMDA motorcycle escorts from VIPs to EDSA — Raffy Tulfo

Senator Raffy Tulfo on Wednesday urged the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to pull out its motorcycle escorts and transfer these to traffic duties along EDSA after another incident where an unauthorized vehicle used the thoroughfare’s busway.

“Nanawagan ako ngayon sa MMDA chairman. Ngayon pa lamang, -ipull out mo na  (ang motorcycle escorts) unless you have authority from the Office of the President then wala tayong magawa. Pag-trabahuhin mo dyan sa EDSA, at wala na dapat escort,” Tulfo, who is the chair of the Senate Committee on Public Services, said in a press briefing.

“Dapat yan ay ginagamit sa pag-papatrolya sa traffic, paghahabol sa traffic violators, hindi sa pag escort ng VIP,” he added.

(I called on the MMDA chairman today to pull out the agency’s motorcycle escorts. Unless you have authority from the Office of the President, then we can't do anything about it. Order them to work along EDSA, and there should no longer be escorts. The motorcycle units should be used to patrol traffic, apprehend traffic violatorsand not to escort VIPs.)

The senator’s remarks came after a luxury SUV was caught using the EDSA busway near the MRT Guadalupe station's northbound lane on Sunday.

Video from the Special Action and Intelligence Committee for Transportation (SAICT), the SUV escaped apprehension and even "attempted to run over" traffic enforcer Sarah Barnachea of the Department of Transportation’s Special Action and Intelligence Committee for Transportation (DOTr-SAICT).

Tulfo alleged that MMDA was not giving the CCTV footage of the incident to his office.

He then revealed that the passenger of the SUV is a kin of a senator, but the owner of the vehicle is a company called the Orient Pacific Corporation.

The senator said he will call for a Senate hearing regarding the number of traffic violators along the EDSA busway, as he is planning to draft a measure barring the use of MMDA motorcycles as escorts.

To dissuade future violators, the solon proposed to hike the penalty for traffic violators in the EDSA busway to P50,000. At present, violators are fined P5,000 for the 1st violation. If on the 4th offense, a motorist will face a penalty of P30,000.

Meanwhile, MMDA chairperson Romando Artes Jr. said the agency will attend the hearing once they receive an invitation.

“Doon po kami magpapaliwanag kung ano yung position namin doon sa nabanggit ni Senator Raffy regarding sa CCTV footage, regarding doon sa mga motorcycle namin,” Artes told reporters.

(We will explain our position on the issues raised by Senator Raffy regarding the CCTV footage, regarding our motorcycles.)

He added that his personnel have coordinated with Tulfo’s office regarding the SUV, however, the vehicle cannot be identified since it has no conduction sticker.

Artes explained the MMDA has no deployment along the EDSA busway after the DOTr Special Action and Intelligence Committee for Transportation (SAICT) and Land Transportation Office (LTO) took over on June 30.

“Yung panghuhuli dyan sa kanila, wala na sa amin so kung may ipahahabol po sa amin, bakit hindi namin gagawin,” Artes said.

“Nagkaka doble doble kasi kami ng operations so instead na mag sama-sama kami doon, minabuti at napagkasunduan iyan na isa na lang, which is DOTr-SAICT kasi sila naman ang may proyekto sa EDSA bus carousel,” he added.

(Apprehending busway violators is under the DOTr-SAICT and not under our jurisdiction, but if we were asked to apprehend someone, I see no reason to decline that. There was a duplication of operations so it was decided that the busway fall under DOTr-SAICT since the EDSA bus carousel is also their project.)
—RF, GMA Integrated News