A 500-percent increase in fines for three traffic violations starts on Monday, according to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
The MMDA said the penalty for illegal parking for attended vehicles would be raised to P1,000 from P200; fine for illegal parking for unattended vehicles would be P2,000 from P500; and the fine for road obstruction had been hiked to P1,000 from P150.
“Yes, the increase in fines will push through effective January 7, 2019,” Michael Salalima, chief of staff of the Office of the MMDA General Manager, told The Manila Times on Sunday.
The increase in fines is just the start of the agency’s aggressive approach to instill discipline among motorists especially on EDSA, C5, Commonwealth Avenue and Aurora Boulevard.
The three violations are the most committed by most drivers, the reason for the bigger fines, according to Salalima.
The best deterrent not to be slapped with the heftier fines, he said, is driving carefully and observing all traffic rules anywhere in the country, not just in Metro Manila.
“Our message to the public is still the same, that we all maintain and practice discipline on the road and abide by traffic laws and policies,” Salalima added.
He allayed fears that fines for other violations will also be raised shortly.
“None yet for other violations. Let’s just focus on the mentioned violations so that people will be aware of the increase in fines. All the [other] violations are being reviewed,” Salalima said.