THE Metro Manila Development Authority has reactivated its “Oplan Libreng Sakay” with the deployment of military trucks to pick up stranded passengers during heavy rain.
Motorists and commuters on Wednesday were stranded and experienced gridlock after various parts of Metro Manila have been hit by flash floods because of heavy rainfalls brought by Typhoon “Ferdie.”
MMDA officer-in-charge Thomas Orbos dispatched a military truck to fetch the affected passengers along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue from Timog Avenue going to Ayala Avenue in Makati City.
Two other military trucks were also deployed along Ricardo Papa Street in Caloocan City and North Avenue in Quezon City.
During the time of MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino, the agency introduced the Libreng Sakay program in a bid to help commuters in case of heavy rain and massive flooding.
The scheme also came on the heels of the technical problems that has affected the operations of the Metro Railway Transit -3 and has stranded thousands of passengers, especially during peak hours.Ӭ
Orbos also ordered personnel from the agency’s Flood Control and Sewerage Management Office and Traffic Discipline Office to monitor the flood-prone areas and be on a stand-by in case of emergency situation.
At press time, the MMDA Metrobase reported tire-deep flood in the areas of Quezon Avenue and Biak na Bato, half-tire deep flood at the northbound lane of Edsa in front of Gate 2 of Camp Aguinaldo and gutter-deep flood along the northbound lane of Circumferential Road-5 in the Bagong Ilog area.
