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Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star
April 2, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — The government must be consistent in enforcing laws, particularly in traffic management and road clearing operations, a Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) official said.
According to Gabriel Go, the MMDA’s Special Operations Group Strike Force head who recently figured in a viral post over a heated exchange with a police officer, his unit was trying to implement change by performing regular clearing operations and maintaining orderly traffic flow along highways and alternate routes in Metro Manila.
“We got used to times that when there is no traffic enforcer around, despite having traffic signages, we will park (in illegal parking areas). And when we get caught, we always say sorry and plead for us not to be cited for violation,” he said in an interview with The STAR’s online show “Truth on the Line” on Monday.
If motorists cannot follow simple rules such as avoiding illegal parking along major thoroughfares, chances are they could be “blatantly disrespecting” other laws – something that Go said wanted to change.
He highlighted the importance of information dissemination on policies on road traffic and road clearing among citizens, as well as consistency in implementing them.
He also pointed out that with consistency comes the need for “collaboration and coordination with law enforcers and the local government units, especially the barangay.”
Go emphasized that in traffic rules and in road clearing operations, “no one is above the law, and the law applies to all.”
He reminded personnel under his unit to only remove obstructions, such as tables and umbrellas during clearing operations, and not confiscate vendors’ merchandise.
Meanwhile, MMDA Chairman Don Artes said a show-cause order has been issued to Go in connection with an altercation with a Quezon City police officer.
In his letter to Sen. JV Ejercito, Artes said the MMDA is taking the matter seriously and assured the senator that Go will be held accountable if found to be at fault.
“Mr. Gabriel Go is a good man and a dedicated MMDA enforcer. If he committed a mistake, we will accord him due process and penalize him as justified,” Artes said in a separate statement.
The controversy stemmed from a clearing operation wherein Go allegedly humiliated Capt. Erik Felipe of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) over a parking ticket dispute.
A video of the incident, reportedly taken outside Anonas police station 9 without Felipe’s consent, circulated online, subjecting him to criticism for parking his motorcycle on the sidewalk.
According to National Police Commission (Napolcom) Commissioner Rafael Vicente Calinisan, Felipe intends to sue Go and vlogger Dada Koo for violation of Republic Act 10173, or the Data Privacy Act.
Asked when the case might be filed, Calinisan said in a Viber message, “Toward the end of the week.”
Calinisan said he spoke with Go over the weekend and advised him to apologize to Felipe, but to no avail. — Mark Ernest Villeza, Emmanuel Tupas
