I-ACT creates task force to ease holiday traffic

Enforcement operations will be conducted in areas leading to the seaports, airports, bus terminals and the major thoroughfares in Metro Manila.(Photo by Patrickroque01 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

MANILA — The Inter-agency Council on Traffic (I-ACT) has created a task force that will help address the expected traffic congestion in Metro Manila as the holiday season draws near.

The Task Force Alamid will focus on clearing of illegally parked vehicles and other obstructions in traffic prone areas of the metropolis, according to I-ACT Communications and Administrative Services head Elmer Argano.

Enforcement operations will be conducted in areas leading to the seaports, airports, bus terminals and the major thoroughfares in Metro Manila.

“We are aiming to help cushion the traffic congestion for the upcoming All Saints’ Day and Christmas celebrations. We are looking for the task force to be operating even beyond the holidays because of the traffic situation in Metro Manila,” Argano said in an interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

The task force will also address other traffic concerns such as illegally franchised or “colorum” vehicles, implementation of laws on anti-drunk and distracted driving, among others.

Task Force Alamid was launched last Thursday at the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) office in Pasay City.

Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade urged the personnel of the task force to strictly enforce traffic laws to ensure discipline among motorists.

“Hindi na tayo mamimili kung sino ang huhulihin, bibigyan natin ng ticket or i-tow. Kay sports car, jeep, taxi or truck man yan, kapag illegal parking yan, dapat pag-igtingin natin ang pagpapatupad ng batas (There will be no exemptions in who to apprehend, issued traffic tickets or to be towed. It does not matter whether it is a sports car, jeep, taxi or truck as long as it is illegally parked, we must implement the law),” Tugade said in his address during the event.

The task force will be composed of 20 personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), 25 police officers from the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG), 25 enforcers from the DOTr and 30 traffic enforcers from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

I-ACT is an inter-agency body composed of DOTr, MMDA, PNP-HPG, Land Transportation Office (LTO), and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) tasked to address traffic congestion in Metro Manila, Laguna, Rizal, Cavite, and Bulacan.