MMDA deploys traffic volunteers Monday

MANILA—The Metropolitan Manila Development (MMDA) will start deploying the initial batch of volunteers from private organizations starting Monday, with Quezon Avenue as the initial area of deployment.

The MMDA will deputize the volunteers from the Civil Defense Action Group (CDAG) and Pureforce and Rescue Corporation (Pureforce) to complement its existing traffic personnel.

The traffic volunteers will be given traffic violation tickets upon deployment to their respective areas of assignment.

MMDA General Manager Tim Orbos said traffic enforcers are needed because there are only 424 major roads with traffic signals as compared to the more than 1,000 main intersections.

CDAG, headed by Johnny Yu, is an umbrella organization of registered volunteer and rescue units in the Philippines and accredited by the Office of the Civil Defense and the Department of National Defense while Pureforce, owned by Jomerito Soliman, is a first responder operations company which integrates computer-aided dispatch and other state-of-the-art incident management technology.

The partnership was made possible through the help and coordination of Charlon Ynot, a fire volunteer himself.

The MMDA is set to sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with CDAG and Pureforce to formalize the partnership in tapping the volunteers who will do traffic duties.

Under the MOA, the agency will provide transport and traffic management seminars, trainings and administer qualifying examinations to the selected volunteers. It will also provide volunteers with legal and medical assistance in the course of their performance of their official duties and functions.

On the other hand, the two private groups will recommend the volunteers and will provide the MMDA all available equipment, technology and other resources and assets for the purpose of transport and traffic management.

The private firms will provide the volunteers with their own uniform and other personal protective equipment during their deployment to the field.

To date, MMDA has only a total of 2,368 traffic enforcers doing three shifts and are spread out to the 197 kilometers of major roads and thoroughfares in Metro Manila.