PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. has rejected a proposed increase in fines for illegal parking, stressing his belief that Filipinos are disciplined and responsible.
In a video message, the President said he disallowed a provision of Joint Traffic Circular No. 01 from the Metro Manila Council raising the fine for illegal parking from P1,000 to P4,000.
The higher fine was supposed to be implemented starting April 15.
“It would remain at P1,000. While we understand the intention behind the proposal, I’ve decided to prioritize discipline over penalties. The new Filipinos are disciplined. By focusing on individual responsibility, we can create long-lasting solutions to our traffic challenge,” Marcos said.
“By focusing on individual responsibility, we can create long-lasting solutions to our traffic challenge,” Marcos added.
Under the traffic violations and fines under the Traffic Code of 2023 issued by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), illegal parking violations are fined P1,000 if the vehicle is attended by the driver and P2,000 and impounding a vehicle if it is unattended.
The President early this month led a town hall meeting on traffic that identified causes of traffic, along with measures to address congestion and improve current rules.
Among the recent traffic-related-directives of Marcos include the regulation of the issuance and use of special license plates and the ban on the use of blinkers and sirens by those in government, unless in an emergency.
MMDA COMPLIES
The MMDA said it will comply with the directive of the President rejecting the proposal of the Metro Manila Council to increase the fines for illegal parking to P4,000 from P1,000.
The MMC, whose members are the 17 Metro Manila mayors, is the policy-making body of the MMDA.
“The MMDA will follow the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to temporarily stay the implementation of the proposal to raise the fines against illegal parking as contained in a resolution of the Metro Manila Council,” the agency said in a statement.
“The current P1,000 fine for attended illegal parking and P2,000 for unattended illegal parking will stay,” it added.
In a video posted on Wednesday, Marcos Jr. said he rejected the MMC proposal to raise the fines for illegal parking, adding that while he understood the intention behind such a move, he decided to prioritize discipline over the imposition of penalties.
“By focusing on individual responsibility, we can create long-lasting solutions to our traffic challenge,” Marcos Jr. added.
“The agency is with the President in his call for discipline in our roadways and in encouraging every Filipino to be disciplined,” the MMDA said.
ON BIKE LANE
The MMDA is mulling the removal of the bike lane on Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) since only 1,500 bikers are using it daily.
MMDA Traffic Enforcement Group Director Victor Nunez said the bike lane is “underutilized.”
“It was mentioned by Chairman (Romando) Artes that based on data the bike lane is underutilized considering that only 1,500 bikers use it daily. Compare it to around 170,000 motorcycle riders going through EDSA every day,” Nunez told the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon forum.
Bike lanes were put on major roadways in Metro Manila during the lockdowns imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic when public transportation was banned as part of health protocols to prevent the spread of the dreaded virus.
The plan to remove the bike lane is part of a study being conducted by the MMDA and the Department of Transportation and use it instead as an exclusive lane for motorcycles on EDSA.
Nunez said the MMDA is also aware of the fact that bikers and motorcycles may have a hard time using the same lane.
MMDA data showed that from January to July last year, 149 of the 170 people killed in road accidents in Metro Manila were bikers or motorcycle riders.
He said a decision has yet to be reached on the issue since the MMDA and DOTr study has yet to be completed.
“A final decision will only be made once the study by the DOTr and MMDA is done,” he added.
The agency enforced a regulation last year barring motorcycles from using the bike lane on EDSA, with violators fined P1,000.
The 23.8-kilometer-long EDSA, the main thoroughfare in Metro Manila, has two exclusive lanes — the bike lane beside the sidewalk and the bus carousel lane. — With Ashzel Hachero
