TRINKLED

No Holy Week dayoff, break for MMDA

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said its personnel will have to work round-the-clock shifts in preparation for the Holy Week exodus. Aside from the 24-hour operations, days off are also canceled. "Our men will work round-the-clock on three shifts, and we have cancelled their day-offs in readiness for the peoples traditional journey to their respective provinces," MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando said. On Sunday, the agency started deploying around 1,400 traffic enforcers and road emergency personnel to major transport hubs and roads in the metropolis. The agency's enforcers and quick response groups have been assigned to man traffic in bus terminals in in Cubao, Quezon City and Pasay City, Fernando said. MMDA personnel will also be stationed along EDSA, Manila and other exit points leading to provincial highways such as the North and South Luzon Expressways, MacArthur Highway and Coastal Road. Fernando added that additional personnel will also be deployed to the streets, if the situation necessitates, to allow an unimpeded travel of private and public utility motorists. The deployments will be until travelers return to Metro Manila on March 23 and 24. MMDA officials on Monday morning conducted ocular inspections of various terminals in Quezon City to check the proper use of loading and unloading bays. These contingent measures, Fernando said, form part of an inter-agency effort dubbed as ā€œOplan Semana Santaā€ to ensure a safe and orderly exodus of people going to the provinces. The MMDA will also be on the lookot for colorum buses, Traffic Operations Center chief Angelito Vergel de Dios said. The agency has also offered the North Road and Rail Station, near the North Avenue MRT station, as an alternate station for passengers and buses going out of Metro Manila. The agency also said that road emergency personnel will be stationed along Edsa emergency stations on a 24-hour basis to attend to victims of road accidents, stalled vehicles and untangle traffic during such emergency stations. "They will be at the accident site or any emergency situation to bring order in 15 minutes," Fernando said. Fernando also advised commuters and motorists to monitor traffic before traveling, and to call the 136 MMDA Metro base hotline for assistance.