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The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Sunday credited the Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) for ridding the Balintawak area of sidewalk vendors.
MMDA chief Francis Tolentino admitted on radio dzMM that the MMDA failed in clearing the rampant obstructions in Metro Manila’s sidewalks.
“’Yun po siguro ‘yung malaking pagkukulang namin. HPG po ang nakagawa niyan. Napakarami nang panahon na dapat nagawa ‘yan (That’s our big failure. The HPG managed to do it. It should have been done a long time ago),” Tolentino said.
Tolentino added that there have been instances when MMDA enforcers have been shot at during clearing operations along Baclaran and Cubao.
The PNP-HPG’s clearing operations in Balintawak are part of the government’s plans to ease traffic in along EDSA.
Tolentino believes a huge part of the PHP-HPG’s success can be attributed to the degree of respect they command from the public.
He pointed out that many MMDA enforcers have gotten attacked while doing their job, with some people slapping and even running over them.
Photo: MMDA
This article has been re-published with permission from ABS-CBNnews.com.
