The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will boost the presence of its traffic enforcers in the National Capital Region (NCR) to help ease congestion and improve road safety.

In a statement on Wednesday, MMDA Acting Chair Romando Artes said personnel from the MMDA’s Traffic Discipline Office will have their duties extended until midnight in response to the 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. adjusted operating hours of shopping centers in the NCR.

He told his enforcers that traffic management should be prioritized ahead of apprehensions of simple and light violations that may hamper the flow of traffic.

“Our primary duty is to manage traffic first before apprehending erring motorists. We don’t allow the practice of waiting for motorists to violate traffic rules before flagging them down,” he said.

He said exemptions to the minimized apprehension policy include distracted driving and number coding violations.

He also ordered traffic enforcers to avoid grouping together and the unnecessary use of mobile phones while on duty.

“Activities of field personnel will also be monitored through the use of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras located at the MMDA Operations Monitoring and Control Center (Metrobase) to make sure that the policy and guidelines among their ranks shall be strictly implemented,” he said.

Following the moratorium on road excavations during the season, he also mandated road work contractors to put steel plate covers on all excavations to make them passable to motorists and to avoid accidents.

Earlier, the MMDA announced the extended operating hours of malls in the NCR to make way for the expected increase in mallgoers during the Christmas season.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr), through the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), has also ordered the 24/7 operation of free ride buses along the Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) Busway throughout the month of December. (PNA)