MMDA sets higher fines for illegal parking

MANILA, Philippines — Starting Monday, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will start implementing higher fines for illegal parking and obstructing the road, an official said yesterday.

“Motorists should follow traffic rules because the penalties increased by 400 percent. This is not a dry run,” said Bong Nebrija, MMDA traffic head for EDSA.

The fine for illegal parking for attended vehicles will be raised to P1,000 from the current P200 and to P2,000 from the current P500 for unattended vehicles.

For obstructing the road by loading or unloading passengers illegally or disregarding one-way signs, the fine was increased to P1,000 from P150.

For yellow lane violators, the fine was raised to P1,000 from P500 for private cars and P300 for public utility vehicles.

In another development, thousands of commuters were inconvenienced after one of EDSA’s northbound lanes was closed to motorists due to debris that fell from the Cabrera footbridge in Pasay City. 

Nebrija said the lane was closed from 10 p.m. on Wednesday until 10 a.m. yesterday after the Department of Public Works and Highways assessed the condition of the bridge.