House Proposal Approves Creation of Traffic Crisis Management Council to Unify Traffic Rules

The House Panel has approved the proposal to create a Traffic Crisis Inter-Agency Management Council to merge all transport and traffic policies in the country. Filed as House Resolution No. 353, its implementation seeks to improve the continuous traffic problem that has been plaguing Metro Manila.

The council will include seven government agencies: the Philippine National Police--Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Land Transportation Office (LTO), Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Department of Transportation (DOTr), Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

"There is a need for the creation and convention of an executive council with its core members consisting of the leaders of the above enumerated agencies, offices, and departments, to serve as an efficient venue for the consolidation and harmonization of traffic management policies and plans further consultation with the public, and implementation of the resulting consolidated policies and plans," said Western Samar Representative Edgar Sarmiento, who authored the resolution.

Sarmiento added that there is a need to harmonize all the traffic management policies of government agencies responsible for the policies.

Lack of Coordination Leads to Inefficiency and Confusion

Currently, there is lack of coordination in managing and implementing traffic laws. Different agencies, together with some local government units, have their own jurisdiction over how traffic should be managed-- and its laws implemented. This leads to inefficiency, since there is an overlapping of different agencies' responsibilities and their way of enforcement.

DOTr Assistant Secretary Mark De Leon gives an example in Sunstar:

"Under RA 3146 (Traffic Code), the mandate on traffic is under DOTr and LTO (Land Transportation Office). LTO has the mandate to enforce the Traffic Code. But we also have various agencies working on matters related to traffic," he explained.

These agencies pertain to local government units, which have their own local traffic laws that they implement within their locality.