MANILA 3rd district Rep. Joel R. Chua called for the abolition of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA)
In a privilege speech Monday, Chua said the MMDA should be abolished and what would remain only is a council of mayors of the National Capital Region supported by a small secretariat. He also said dismantling the MMDA would align with the current Marcos administration’s National Government Rightsizing Program.
The congressman said the MMDA has encroached upon the jurisdiction of local government units and national government agencies, violated the Local Government Code, duplicated the roles of national agencies, has become a bloated bureaucracy, and wasted billions in public funds from projects not implemented.
He also said the Supreme Court had long settled that MMDA has no legislative power, nor police power.
Chua said metro-wide concerns, issues, and situations can be addressed by a council of NCR mayors, who can have some of their decisions ratified by the legislative councils in NCR to have legislative character and effect.
The Manila congressman, who had served as Manila councilor, said the MMDA has been disrupting the lives of Manila residents through MMDA operations involving demotions of homes, clearing of roads and sidewalks, and traffic management and enforcement.
