With the many problems faced by Metro Manila residents—horrible traffic, perennial flooding, rising criminality, among others—there is now a suggestion to replace the appointed chairman of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) with an elected governor vested with wide-ranging powers rather than mere coordination.
The raison
d'etre for having an elected governor for Metro Manila is to make him
answerable and accountable to his constituency, instead of to the President, as
what is happening now.
It is
believed that a governor would do a better job at managing a big metropolis,
just like in other big cities as New York and Tokyo. An elected governor would
be more attuned to the situation on the ground and more sensitive to what needs
to be done. We agree.
Quite
apart from having someone with expertise and urban planning at the helm of
Metro Manila is the need to draw up a master plan.
As
things now stand, every city implements its own development plan. If Metro
Manila is designated as a special region, being the seat of government and the
financial center, a holistic and integrated plan for development can be
undertaken, instead of palliative measures and band-aid solutions.
As of
now, the MMDA only serves as a coordinating agency for local government units,
with its actions requiring the approval of individual mayors.
A permanent
body with an elected head will not automatically solve Metro Manila traffic and
flood problems, not to mention rising criminality. But it would be a step
forward in bringing sanity back to the city, instead of encouraging haphazard
and uneven development. We should really give it a chance to work. –End-
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