“Swerving is NOT a violation”, and other petty MMDA abuses
This information is circulating on emails lately. I find this very informative especially if you drive along Metro Manila and has been abused by MMDA, MAPSA and other local traffic kotong operatives.. It’s originally entitled “How you can challenge petty abuses of MMDA personnel…”
I just reached my limit last week-end, and decided to take action against the abusive MMDA enforcers. I basically called up the MMDA head office and inquired from the Personnel Officer, Antonio Pagulayan, to clarify their policies. Here is what I got.
If any of these abuses seem familiar to you, Mr. Pagulayan has asked that you call either the MMDA hotline (136) or call the METRO BASE at 0920-938-9861 or 0920-938-9875 and ask for an Inspectorate. They will send inspectors to the place where these MMDA officers are extorting, even while you are arguing out of your apprehension.
1. MMDA officers are not allowed to group together in order to apprehend.
They are not even allowed to stand together in groups of 2 or more. The only time they are allowed to work together is for special operations (probably when they apprehend groups of buses for smoke belching);
2. Swerving IS NOT a traffic violation. Moving one lane to the left or right is not swerving, no matter where on the road you do it. And it is even less of a violation when you do it with a signal. Swerving is defined as shifting 2 or more lanes very quickly. So you can argue your way out of this, and call the Metro Base for help;
3. Sadly, using the yellow lane is a traffic violation and will get you a ticket. However, buses are really not allowed to go out of the yellowlane, so if you see selective apprehension of private cars only, you may complain;
4. MMDA has confirmed that your license MAY NOT BE CONFISCATED at a traffic apprehension. The only time they can do so is if you are part of an accident, or it is your third violation and you have not settled your fines yet. They are only allowed to give you a ticket, which you can contest. He recommends actually receiving the ticket in some instances, so that you can report the officer who did it.
Also, you are free to ask any of these officers for their “mission order”, which is written by their supervisor. If they apprehend you for a violation that is not in their mission order for the day, you can report them and they will receive disciplinary action.
So go out and enjoy! And drive safely!!!
hmmm… why didn’t I hear about this a little earlier?
Saturday night, I was on my way to Robinson’s Galleria… I was accustomed to staying out of the yellow lane… I was at the next. As I come nearer to the mall… I had to change lane. Signaled. Went slow. The road behind me seems clear. There wasn’t 5 secs when 3 (or 4?) MMDA enforcers pulled me over.
They said: “Ser, dapat malayo pa nag change lane na kayo.”
I answered quick: “At huhulihin nyo ko for using the yellow lane??”
To cut the story short… I ended up handing over my precious 500 petot. Wala kasi ako ibang dalang pera nung mga oras na yun… e alangan naman manghingi pa ako ng sukli. hahaha.
Man! Had I known a little early… I could’ve at least spent that for couple of liters of gas.
Next time! Next time!
Kuya Enjel, you don’t know how many times I’ve been apprehended for changing lanes. I’m the king of this mistake — or not anymore as we now have a bullet to use. :D
MMDA should be taken off the road. The only reason that they are there is for kotong.
I have nothing against the good intentions of some people to enforce traffic rules and regulations but when you know that it’s already kotong…well that’s a different story.
I just changed lane, and i’m very sure of that. An officer apprehended me… swerving daw. After minutes of discussion, we ended up “kotong”. The worst is… ang sabi sa akin ng officer, ma’am wag po dito… escortan kita hanggang dun sa chino roces, marami kasing nakatingin dito, dun mo iabot, ibalot mo sa tissue”. Wow, grabe… kapalmuks.
That was in south superhighway buendia. Nagkalat ang mga talamak na officers dun.
Just this afternun i was apprehended by a MAPSA yellow police in ayala cor paseo de roxas st, i was in the bus lane since i have turn right, when i was about to turn biglang may sumingit na taxi in my right at dumeretche while he was in the right turn slot then hinuli ako ng yellow police for swerving the i asked him bakit hindi nya hinuli un taxi he replied “ikaw ang natapatan ko” i asked him again pano magiging swerving un violation e nasa lane ako may sumingit lang na taxi na iniwasan ko, he told me instead na swerving un ilalagay para lumiit un penalty papalaitan na lang daw nya ng obstruction.i asked him anu un obastruction tanong ko na lang daw pagtinubos ko un lisensya ko.
just this afternoon, i was apprehended between Macapagal and Roxas Blvd. Swerving daw. I was not sure whether i committed the violation. but in the end, the policeman was able to convince me to just give some kotong. i was determined at the start to just get the ticket but after some convincing, i gave in. i really felt bad afterwards. on second thought after reading this blog post, i realized that i wasn’t swerving. i changed lanes but it was not that abrupt and if i remember it correctly, it was only a single lane. i also noticed that a lot of cars have been apprehended in that area before and after me. i just thought that if motorists tend to swerve in that area, policemen should instead try to prevent motorists from violating it and improved the safety in the area by signaling to motorists or putting a no swerving sign. instead, they wait for motorists to commit the mistake and take advantage of them. i just hope that law enforcers should make an effort in helping motorists follow traffic rules instead of just watching them commit the mistake and take advantage of them.
hi! can I re-post this in my blog? Thank you.
just yesterday i was driving from magallenes to moa via edsa . mayroong route dun na isang road paputnang u turn at isa diretso pa moa. i was unlucky na napalagay me sa lane ng pauturn. so i slowly turned to the other lane going str8 to MOA. then 2 guys in light blue uniform signaled me to halt. i did not halt then a few meters after the guy in police uniform signaled me to halt i still did not halt then drove all the way to moa and made a sudden turn to the right to PICC and drove to makati.
Do you think i will be chased by those policemen and charged of anything? since i know from the start that i did not commit swerving they just would like to extort money from me so i a escaped them.
Di kaya magkafine me? if i renew the license of my car?
There’s a pair of kotong officers in quiapo area in front of the city hall (where the traffic splits into overpass going to sta. cruz, one other, and quiapo). I was driving from Roxas Blvd staying at leftmost lane to avoid the rest of the lanes where buses and jeepneys stop incessantly and the merging traffic. My sister told me we had to turn right (I am a US resident vacationing for 2 weeks and have never driven in that area!!) so I turned on my signal and slowly moved about 3 lanes to the right with my husband and sister helping me out so we wont crash into the stinking jeeps and buses. The officer flagged me-’Ma’am swerving po eh!;…Well,after driving for many hours that day in the worst traffic area in the world, nag init ang ulo ko. Instead of paawa/pa-cute effect I let him know I was fuming mad-eh, nakita pa nya na puti ang asawa ko na nasa passenger seat. He said he’ll give me a ticket and confiscate my license-US driver’s license yon anoh! And our flight is early the next day!! To end the discussion abruptly,I yelled at my husband ’500!’-in less than 10 sec he let us go.A**hole….
Thanks for the info. Is this policy an actual written policy? If so, where can this printed policy be obtained?
hinuli din ako sa makati ave cor gil puyat… nakatumpok cla dun at sinigawan pa ko! sabi ko tatay ba kita at sisigawan mo ko ha? sa halip na swerving daw eh obstruction na lang ilalagay nya.
question kahit ba 1st violation eh dapat ng kuhanin nila ang license ko? its the first time. mayabang na yellow police yun hindi ko kaya cia uurungan!
[...] It’s just too dangerous as these just open up more opportunities for enforcers to commit abuses. Our lawmakers should know that in a country where dysfunctional systems abound laws and rules [...]
hinuli ako kanina ng mga mmda sa may edsa cubao, they said i entered in to a bus lane, i know it is a violation but i enter becoz nkita ko may mga nkapark n motor sa tabi sa loob ng lane,mga may binibili sa mga tindahan don,kya kala ko ok lng. kasi dun din nman ako mg rright turn but they apprehend me, ang nakakabuwisit sa mga tanga na yan sabi sakin kung bumili daw ako dun sa mga tindahan dun, hndi nila ko huhulihin kasi may lusutan nman pakanan dun.so sa madaling sabi pwede kasi may white lane din ako nakita dun. isa pa, tatlo cla na humuhuli sa akin eh nag iisa lng nman ako. kinuha nila license ko, kala ko ticket lng n babayaran sa metrobank. i dont sign the ticket
I have my delivery men go to an ermita cetner client,pero sa may itersection ng Roxas blvd & Mia Road, hinuli daw sila…swerving, buti nalang may dala silang 80 pesos, tinanggap naman ng mmda, heheheheheh wawa naman yung mga tao ko binalik ko un 80 nila pag uwi nila sa opis. pero wawa din ung mmda 80 lang di pa naging 100, LOL
Ang dami ko nang na rereceive na comments tungkol dito. I've been thinking about starting a group or a website where we can have a way to bring up these kinds of corruption in the streets?
-Arnold
___
http://arnold.gamboa.ph | http://teamsparrow.net | Twitter: arnoldgamboa
Ironically, I think this policy can be obtained at MMDA.
[...] of my most famous blog post is “Swerving is NOT a violation, and other petty MMDA abuses”. It’s so popular that after I shared my experience with MMDA operatives, a bunch of other [...]
ako na yata ang reyna ng swerving, everytime na lalabas ako sa kabihasnan, mga MMDA dyan lagi nila akong hinuhuli, puro swerving, napipikon nko sa kanila kaya ang ginagawa ko e umiyak nlng lagi, effective naman pero may lagay pa din, kaya this time, sila ang may kalalagyan sa akin pag huli nila ko ulit ng swerving…. grrrrhhh thanks po sa info…
Count me in Sir!… May nanghuhuli din sa may MoA, I think hindi po sila MMDA, TPO ba yun or TMG? per mga petty citations din. I came from MoA along EDSA and had to make a U turn to go to Roxas boulevard, after making a U turn, I had to switch lanes while being cautious of swerving, although ndi naman ako binigyan ng swerving violation, ang sinabi naman ay nasa wrong lane ako nag right turn to roxas, dapat daw maaga palang nasa right most lane na. tapos malamang pag binilasan ko naman makalipat ng lane, swerving naman ang sasabihin.. catch 22 talaga! huhuhu.
try to check this link
http://philstreet-corruption.blogspot.com/
MMDA story
has anyone of you able to get free from being charged of this swerving gamit nitong article na to? i want to try these on the road para tingnan natin kung effective. or somewhat meron pain na motorist tapos mas kasamang traffic authority para mahuli na ang mga kotongerong na pulis na yan.
Huhuh ngayon ko lang rin ito nalaman, the other night kasi nahuli ako along buendia taft intersection kasi pa right turn ako sabi swerving daw, ako naman in shock kasi first time ko mahuli ng magisa lang ako (bale 2nd violation ko pa lang to) ayun, kung ano ano paliwanag ko yun pala naman walang violation na swerving kaya yun dinaan na lang sa lagay toinks….
Sa clover leaf balintawak din pag pa diretso ka sa A bonifacio from NLEX mahuli ka ng swerving kahit mag shift ka lang ng 1 lane to left. Masama nun kaya ka mag shift ng 1 lane to the left magkakaroon bigla ng harang, yung dapat na lane ng going to a bonifacio sa rightmost bigla may plastic barrier na harang, parang nangbibiktima talaga. yung nandun nga ako mga 10 sasakyan na yung nahuli, tapos habang tiniticketan ako naka huli pa sila ng 3 kotse. Supposed to be yung lane na yun is lane ng going to A. Bonifacio, pero dahil may harang kailangan mo magshift ng 1 lane to left.
Next time, pag alam mong tama ka, wag mo bigay license mo. Yan na ang bago kong resolution.
-Arnold
___
http://arnold.gamboa.ph | http://teamsparrow.net | Twitter: http://twitter.com/arnoldgamboa
i had the same experience in Macapagal…i think that's the daily routine of the policemen assigned there…i explained to him that it's not swerving and i take that route every freaking day…he still insisted in getting my license and i politely gave it to him…i remember that they shouldn't be taking it and should just instead give me a ticket so i asked for my license back when he refused to give it back so i pretended to call my neighbor working in LTO insisting that my license shouldn't be held by the police officer…when he heard that i was about to make that call he was stopped and asked me where i'm from…and just told me it'll be just a warning this time…we should really know our rights as motorists so these kotong cops stop abusing us…
grabe talaga ang mga yan.. lalo na sa mga towing services. kahit walang sira sasakyan mo, gusto nila hilain. lalo na pag huminto ka lang . nakatabi naman sasakyan namin. uunahan ka pa sa driver side nung tao nila kaya malaya silang lagyan ng towing bar para hilain…magbigay daw kami pera para d nila i impound sasakyan namin. wala kami kasi kakilalang mahingan ng tulong, taga baguio po kami. sana mabigyan nyo po ng solusyon ito. pandaraya at pagnanakaw na ginagawa nila. banda po yata ng marikina po un..
ako kakahuli lng knina…magkano ba bayad pag obstraction violation?…tarantadong mga mmda sa NLEX
nag overtake lng ako sandali..tas nde agad ako nakabalik sa trak lane…hinuli agad ako…me camera pa!!…e wala p nga 30 sec. yun pinanood ko n vid e….pwde kya yun ireklamo?.
nahuli ako kanina. sayang kung alam ko ‘to hnd sana ako natikitan. anyway thanks for the info
[...] of my most accessed blog is about MMDA kotong cops‘ petty abuses. Imagine if you have a camera phone and you encounter abuses on the road. You [...]