Mayor Joseph Estrada on Monday ordered all personnel of the Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau to submit their courtesy resignations saying more than 50 percent of the 690 personnel are extortionists,.

Mayor Joseph Estrada. PHOTO BY BOB DUNGO JR
Mayor Joseph Estrada. PHOTO BY BOB DUNGO JR

“We are swamped with complaints everyday from motorists who claimed they were being victimized by extortionist enforcers. So I ordered their mass resignation and we will start with a clean slate,” Estrada told reporters in a news conference.

However, not all of the 690 traffic personnel will be dismissed, particularly those who are not involved in extortion activities.

“Investigations are ongoing, but I can assure the public that those found criminally and administratively liable will face the full force of the law,” the mayor said, adding that he has now the chance to weed out misfits and those with derogatory records.

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He said the personnel of the Traffic Enforcement Unit of the Manila Police District (TEU-MPD) will man traffic while new traffic enforcers are being trained.

MTPB head Dennis Alcoreza said the first batch of new traffic enforcers will start their training this week.

Estrada said the resigned traffic enforcers may reapply but they will have to pass tighter screening.

Some of the city’s traffic enforcers earlier complained that they have not received their salaries since June this year.

Asked if their salaries will be given, Estrada said, “as long as they worked.”

Alcoreza said the new set of MTPB personnel will each receive a monthly salary of P10,000, higher than the P6,000 to P8,000 pay given to previous employees.

Alcoreza said about 300 new enforcers will be recruited.

Estrada also launched yesterday what he called the city’s “traffic super body,” an interagency group composed of city and barangay officials and leaders and representatives of local transport organizations, Parents-Teachers Associations (PTAs), business groups and other stakeholders who will jointly come up with long-term solutions to address the city’s traffic problems.

The traffic super body is composed of members of the MPD-TEU, Department of Public Services (DPS), Manila Tricycle Regulatory Office, Office of the City Engineer, Manila Barangay Bureau, City Treasurer’s Office, and the Manila City Hall Action and Support Assignment (MASA), as well as officials and representatives of local transport groups such as the Consolidated Truckers Association, Fejodap, and Pasang Masda, city councilors, barangay officials, and port operators like International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI) and Asian Terminals, Inc. (ATI).