Metropolitan Manila Development Authority

Establishment of Metro Manila

On November 7, 1975, President Ferdinand Marcos issued Presidential Decree No. 824 creating Metro Manila and its managing public corporation, the Metropolitan Manila Commission (MMC) after the residents of the affected cities and municipalities approved the creation of Metro Manila in a referendum held on February 27, 1975. The move consolidated the Philippine capital Manila and adjacent Quezon City with two cities and twelve municipalities of the province of Rizal and one municipality of the province of Bulacan into Metro Manila and designated Metro Manila as the national capital region of the Philippines. Marcos appointed his wife, First Lady Imelda Marcos, as governor and Ismael Mathay Jr. as vice governor. November 7, thus, is marked as the anniversary of both the region and the government body that supervises it, the MMDA.

On May 29, 1976, President Ferdinand Marcos issued Presidential Decree No. 940, restoring the City of Manila as the capital city of the Philippines, and designating Metro Manila as the permanent seat of national government.

The MMC became effectively defunct when on January 9, 1990, President Corazon Aquino issued Executive Order No. 392, in accordance to Article 18, Section 8 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution which replaced the commission with the Metropolitan Manila Authority (MMA). The Metro Manila mayors will choose from themselves as chairman. Jejomar Binay of the municipality of Makati served as its first chairman. The agency transferred to its office at the intersection of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) and Orense Street in Guadalupe Nuevo, Makati. Binay was followed by Ignacio Bunye of the municipality of Muntinlupa in 1991, Ismael Mathay Jr. of Quezon City in 1992 then Prospero Oreta of the municipality of Malabon in 1994.^{[citation needed]}

Since the elected chairman is one of the mayors of Metro Manila, the role to their constituency gave less attention. Thus, the Congress of the Philippines, composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives, passed Republic Act No. 7924 creating the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on March 1, 1995. President Fidel V. Ramos appointed former Malabon mayor Prospero Oreta, who did not run in the Malabon municipal election, as the first Chairman of the MMDA in May 1995 and made him independent of the Metro Manila mayors.^{[citation needed]}

Current developments

In August 2017, the MMDA has adopted the use of a black beret in order to improve its public image. The berets are used by the traffic enforcers under the agency, which alternate these with a black baseball cap.

On May 23, 2022, President Rodrigo Duterte inaugurated the new headquarters of the MMDA at the intersection of Doña Julia Vargas Avenue and Molave Street in Ugong, Pasig. The building was initially conceptualized by a collaboration between former MMDA Chairman Danilo Lim and the Makati chapter of the United Architects of the Philippines in 2018, with the conceptual design being done by architect Daryl Van Abaygar and was constructed by the Robinsons Land Corporation.

Agency chairpersons

Current Metro Manila Council members

The council consists of voting and non-voting members. Voting members are the mayors of the localities in Metro Manila, as well as the Presidents of the Metro Manila Vice Mayors League and the Metro Manila Councilors League. Non-voting members are representatives by the following who serve as council members ex-officio:

• Department of Budget and Management
• Department of Tourism
• Department of Transportation
• Department of Public Works and Highways
• Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development
• and the Philippine National Police National Capital Region Police Office

Traffic jurisdiction

The MMDA has exclusive authority to enforce traffic laws, rules and regulations, and that the local government units in Metro Manila may participate only when their own traffic enforcers are deputized by the agency. Furthermore, MMDA has traffic jurisdiction over Metro Manila's ten radial roads, five circumferential roads and other roads it may include to enforce traffic laws and traffic management activities. However, the MMDA has route designations for radial roads and circumferential roads different from the route classifications of the Department of Public Works and Highways due to the MMDA's focus on only major roads and thoroughfares.

Pasig River Ferry

Since 2014, the agency took over the mothballed Pasig River ferry system in anticipation of huge traffic along the metropolis, from the Skyway Stage 3 construction. In reviving the defunct transportation, many of the old ferry stations were reactivated and new vessels purchased. Ridership of the waterway service increased over time since the agency's takeover, with the offering of discounts to students and senior citizens, until these were made totally free of charge. The MMDA intends to continue operating the ferry service until a private investor takes over.

No Physical Contact Policy

Since 2003, the MMDA has implemented a No Contact Apprehension Policy in apprehending traffic violators in Metro Manila using traffic enforcement cameras and closed-circuit television to capture violators without the presence of an on-site traffic enforcer.

Mabuhay Lane

To ease traffic congestion on main roads in Metro Manila, the MMDA under Chairman Francis Tolentino launched Christmas Lanes, marking 17 alternative routes for motorists during the Christmas season of 2014. Since then, they have been renamed as year-round Mabuhay Lane, designating alternative routes on roads that should be cleared of obstructions at all times. This was underscored by strict parking restrictions, where parked motor vehicles along these priority roads would be immediately towed.

Illegal Parking and Towing

The MMDA is tasked to clear obstructions from the roads at all times, and conducts daily clearing operations against stalled and illegally parked vehicles, with subcontracted towing companies. Illegally parked vehicles will be given 5 minutes to leave, and will be towed otherwise. Incapacitated vehicles are almost immediately towed to clear traffic.

Primary and secondary roads, unless with designated parking areas, are considered "No-Parking-Zones".

No left turn scheme

The MMDA under Bayani Fernando implemented a "no left-turn" scheme in the early 2000s along several major roads in Metro Manila, prohibiting motor vehicle traffic from turning left at intersections and instead requiring them to make a U-turn at designated U-turn slots and making a right turn after. These U-turn slots were designed to mimic the Michigan left turn design by creating continuous traffic, mitigating bottlenecks caused by traffic light signals.

The scheme was controversial due to longer travel time and difficulties in navigating to these U-turn slots. Several academic studies also summarized that the "no left-turn" design was only beneficial under low traffic conditions and minimal lane changing, as the U-turn slots also became congested themselves. Following the end of Fernando's term, many of these U-turn slots were closed and left-turning at most intersections was restored, although some still remain along roads such as EDSA, Quezon Avenue, and Circumferential Road 5.

Pumping Stations

MMDA operates and maintains 73 pumping stations across Metro Manila, and the agency has 11 mobile pumps.

Waterway dredging

Starting with Bayani Fernando's tenure, the Estero Blitz (Waterway Blitz) became an annual waterway clearing operation with emphasis on river dredging activities, particularly at flood-prone areas, to reduce the risk and impact of flooding all over the metropolis. The clearing operation is usually conducted during the dry summer season.

Adopt-a-park

The adopt-a-park program seeks to use underutilized open spaces and turn it into functional parks and rehabilitate underutilized parks within Metro Manila, in cooperation with local government units. There are 17 identified open spaces around the metropolis that is planned to be develop.

Footbridges

The MMDA has built 140 footbridges across Metro Manila. However, some of these footbridges have been criticized such as the Kamuning Footbridge, whose steep height have made it inconvenient to the public and inaccessible to people with disabilities, senior citizens, pregnant women, and children. The footbridge has since been demolished and was replaced with a new one whose design is more accessible and convenient to users.

Public health

The agency supports the campaign against tobacco use and exposure to second-hand smoke. Aside from promotion and public awareness, MMDA also provides technical assistance to the local government units to develop policies, communication strategies, capacity building, and monitoring of compliance.

Public safety

The MMDA has no police powers and the agency's function is purely administrative.

A first metro-wide earthquake drill was conducted on July 30, 2015, to prepare the public in the event of a magnitude 7.2 earthquake. Various government agencies, educational institutions and the private sector participated in the drill spearheaded by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). Different scenarios were re-enacted to simulate a destructive earthquake that is expected to happen when the 100-kilometer (62 mi) West Valley Fault moves. Buoyed by its success the MMDA has since hosted annual regional drills for the capital.

Gwapotel

The Gwapotel was a hotel chain run by the MMDA. The first Gwapotel opened on 2007 in Port Area, Manila, and was a big hit to transients due to its affordability and safety. Another branch of the hotel was opened along Abad Santos Avenue in Tondo, Manila in 2008, which operates as a capsule hotel. However, the second branch closed in 2011 due to low occupancy. In 2015, the Port Area hotel was renovated and more amenities and facilities were added. However, just a year later, the hotel deteriorated badly. The hotel was finally closed in 2017, citing outdated building standards which deemed it unsafe.

Public urinals

A short-lived curiosity all around Metro Manila is the pink urinals made popular by then-MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando, which he implemented prominently in Marikina in an effort to curb public urination. They have since been removed, however, with remaining urinal units distributed instead to local government units. The project drew mixed reactions from the public, and many male motorists and commuters find it useful, while others view it as an unsanitary booth were men are encourage to relieve in public.

TV and radio stations

The agency formerly had a TV and radio stations known as the MMDA Teleradyo. They ceased operations on August 17, 2010. The MMDA Traffic Radio broadcasts traffic updates, and it started as a test broadcast on September 24, 2007. Meanwhile, the MMDA TV broadcasts traffic updates via live feed by monitoring cameras along the highways and streets, with simulcast over MMDA Traffic Radio 1206. It was started as a test broadcast on August 20, 2008. To compensate for the closure of these communication mediums, the MMDA turned to social media such as Facebook and Twitter to broadcast traffic updates to users following them. Live billboards, particularly at EDSA, have been also constructed. The MMDA app for iOS and Android have also been made available for free, broadcasting traffic updates directly.