The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and other government agencies are getting ready for the All Saints’ and All Souls’ day holiday break or ‘Undas.’
Chairperson Romando Artes said the MMDA gathered the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), and all traffic bureau chiefs in Metro Manila to discuss their respective traffic management plans and emergency responses for a peaceful Undas.
Concerned agencies are expected to prepare for the anticipated influx of passengers traveling to the provinces by implementing effective measures to alleviate traffic flow in major thoroughfares and roads leading to and from major cemeteries in the metropolis.
The MMDA will deploy a total of 1,257 personnel from Traffic Discipline Office, Special Operations Group-Strike Force, Metro Parkways Clearing Group, and Road Emergency Group, who will focus on priority areas such as bus terminals, cemeteries, and major thoroughfares.
“We will activate our Oplan Undas 2024 from October 27 to November 4 to ensure a safe observance of remembering our departed loved ones. We will also implement a ‘No Day Off, No Absent Policy’ for our traffic personnel,” Artes said.
The schedule of duties will also be extended until midnight a day before and after Undas to increase visibility and intensify traffic management.
The MMDA, through its Road Emergency Group, will likewise deploy 12 tow trucks and six ambulances to provide public assistance and respond immediately to any emergencies. Help desks and command posts will also be set up in bus terminals.
Meanwhile, the Metro Parkways Clearing Group will focus its cleanup operations within the vicinity of cemeteries starting on October 26 until November 4.
The MMDA Communications and Command Center is tasked to monitor traffic situations in the NCR 24/7.
Thirty units of deployable cameras will also be used in five major cemeteries in the region, including Manila North Cemetery, Manila South Cemetery, Bagbag Public Cemetery in Quezon City, Loyola Memorial Park in Marikina, and San Juan Public Cemetery.
