THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority yesterday said it is mulling legal action against members of the transport group Manibela after several of its traffic enforcers were allegedly hurt during the group’s 3-day protest action that ended last Wednesday.
Manibela said the transport strike was meant to dramatize their call to the alleged falsification of the Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board on the consolidation data of the Public Transport Modernization Program of the government.
“Kino-consider natin ‘yung legal actions kasi nga kung titingnan mo, assault sa person in authority dahil nagpapatupad lang naman sila ng kanilang tungkulin na i-ayos ‘yung ating lansangan (We are considering legal actions since if you take a look at it, it’s an assault against a person in authority as they are only doing their job to fix our streets),” MMDA chief Romando Artes told reporters.
Artes said assault against a person in authority has a corresponding penalty under the law.
He added that he has tasked the MMDA’s Legal Office to study the possible filing of charges, but added they are careful on the issue so as to avoid giving additional publicity to Manibela.
Although the 3-day transport strike was peaceful, Artes said several of their traffic enforcers complained to his office that they were assaulted by protesters after they issued citation tickets to some 15 public utility jeepneys from Manibela for blocking a portion of Connecticut St. corner EDSA near the main office of the Department of Transportation on the last day of the strike.
