THE top five officials allowed to pass through the exclusive EDSA bus lane have a go signal by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) after a convoy got away with a traffic violation when they mentioned the name of Senator Bong Revilla.
The DOTr, in a Nov. 14 letter to the Metro Manila Development Authority, said the President, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court may use the lane “to provide assistance in the performance of their duties.”
The officials have to inform the DOTr ahead of time, and once approved, the plate number will be given to traffic enforcers.
Only public utility buses, emergency vehicles like ambulances and firetrucks, and clearly marked government vehicles responding to emergencies may go, in accordance with MMDA Regulation No. 20-002.
When it comes to government vehicles, DOTr Command and Control Operations Center Chief Charlie Del Rosario told CNN Philippines’ The Source on Nov. 16 that they pertain to those “performing duties and responsibilities within the busway” like construction, security, janitorial, and maintenance services.
But there are special cases, like when the Department of Social Welfare and Development needed to respond to a disaster.
On the morning of Nov. 15, MMDA officers apprehended a convoy passing the EDSA bus lane in front of SM Megamall but let it go after saying Revilla was inside, according to a report from MMDA Task Force Special Operations Head Bong Nebrija.
