Traffic enforcers of local government units (LGUs) in Metro Manila will be given provisional authority by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to continue issuing traffic violation tickets in their respective jurisdictions. This comes after the Supreme Court ordered local governments to stop issuing traffic tickets and comply with the MMDA’s single ticketing system in a decision released last week.
Acting MMDA chairman Atty. Romando Artes has reiterated that the Supreme Court order is not yet final and executory. “We have agreed to give local traffic enforcers in Metro Manila provisional authority for now to prevent anarchy on the roads,” he said after a Metro Manila Council (MMDC) meeting with the mayors of the capital region, adding that erring motorists have been citing the Supreme Court decision in order to avoid apprehension.
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Each LGU shall provide the MMDA a list of traffic enforcers who will be authorized to issue ordinance violation receipts (OVR). The provisional deputization shall be valid until December 31, 2024. Mayor Francis Zamora of San Juan City said that deputized traffic enforcers will be required to wear identification cards to prove they have been authorized to issue traffic tickets.
The MMDA itself will not be filing a motion for the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision to implement the single ticketing system, but each local government in Metro Manila may opt to do so. Those who have already expressed their intention to file a motion for reconsideration are the cities of Makati, Manila, and Mandaluyong, Artes said.
In the meantime, LGUs have been requested to submit a list of their traffic ordinances to be included in the revision of the 2023 Metro Manila Traffic Code, in the event the Supreme Court’s decision becomes final and executory. The single ticketing system, which currently provides harmonized fines and penalties for 23 traffic violations, may also be expanded to include more violations.
