"MMDA Chief Should Have Fixed Tenure"--Castelo

A former chairman for the House of Representatives Committee on Metro Manila Development expressed his firm belief that the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairmanship should have a fixed term of office.

Outgoing Representative Winston Castelo said that fixed tenure should be able to ensure smooth operations and insulate the office from political pressures.

"The MMDA is no longer a coordinating body of the 17 cities and towns, as originally conceived and planned by authors of the law that created this body. It has become a super body," Castelo was quoted in a statement.

According to him, the functions of the MMDA chief "are vital as it involves management of traffic operations, flood control, and garbage collection, just to mention the major ones, in 16 cities and a single town comprising Metro Manila. "

"Based on the discussions we have had in the committee, the MMDA needs a full-time executive, who has a definite term of office like those officials named to the Monetary Board, Government Service Insurance System, and other government-owned and controlled corporations," Castelo noted.

Although he did not give an exact duration on the term, he did indicate that the matter should be taken up by the next Congress.

"The public hearings that will be held would determine how many years would be appropriate for an MMDA chair," Castelo said.

Moreover, the outgoing congressman said that a fixed term of office "would enable the MMDA chair to concentrate on his job without fear of political pressures and reprisals and bureaucratic interference. It could ensure continuity of policies and bureaucratic stability, to ensure the operations of the MMDA."