Court stops Ayala Alabang traffic scheme

MANILA, Philippines - A Muntinlupa City court has stopped the implementation of a traffic scheme in a posh subdivision aimed at reducing the number of vehicles ferrying students to the De La Salle Santiago Zobel (DLSZ).

In a notice sent to parents, the DLSZ administration said a preliminary injunction was issued stopping “until further orders” the Ayala Alabang Village Association (AAVA) from imposing the color-coding scheme.

The injunction was issued weeks after Regional Trial Court Branch 207 Judge Philip Aguinaldo granted on Jan. 27 a 20-day temporary restraining order against the implementation of the traffic scheme.

In a letter to DLSZ president Bernard Oca in December, AAVA president Epifanio Joaquin said the worsening traffic condition caused by cars ferrying students who are not village residents to the school pushed them to implement the policy. 

Under the proposed scheme, the AAVA will issue either green or white stickers to non-residents of the village.

Oca, however, said the school has been implementing measures to address the traffic situation in the village. 

The case has reached the court, with parents arguing that the welfare of the students would be compromised.