MMDA traffic enforcers to get handheld ticketing devices, body cameras

MANILA, Philippines – Traffic personnel in selected cities in Metro Manila will be equipped with handheld ticketing devices and body cameras by the end of May, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said Friday, May 5.

The equipment upgrade is part of the implementation of the single ticketing system which seeks to centralize traffic enforcement in the National Capital Region (NCR). The pilot run of the system started on Tuesday, May 2, in Parañaque, Quezon City, San Juan, Muntinlupa, and Valenzuela.

Using a handheld device, a traffic enforcer can print a citation ticket, validate and authenticate a driver’s license and vehicle registration, and check if the driver has a demerit point or if the license or vehicle registration was suspended, canceled, or flagged.

This device also allows violators to pay their fine upon apprehension through online payment platforms or credit card.

MMDA acting chairman Don Artes said they have already procured 510 handheld devices but these still need to be customized based on the city’s need.  

“Digital handheld devices have already been procured and are now being customized for use by LGUs. This month, we will begin the distribution to LGUs, initially in the five cities where the single ticketing system was rolled out,” Artes said in a press briefing on Friday, May 5.

Artes said that they still have to consolidate with other local governments in the capital region to finalize the number of handheld devices and body cameras they will need. 

During the first week of the implementation of the system, San Juan City, however, already had “few” handheld ticketing devices which they procured on their own, Mayor Francis Zamora said.

Alongside the handheld devices, Artes said authorized traffic personnel will also be equipped with body cameras. He claimed that this would minimize corruption and negotiations between the driver and the enforcer. 

With these body cameras, MMDA will have real time access to the video and audio of these devices. The videos will also be recorded in MMDA’s command center.

Asked when the single ticketing system in Metro Manila will be fully implemented, Artes hoped that the system would be rolled out in the entire capital region by the third quarter of the year. – Rappler.com