MMDA chief to stay at satellite office in flood-prone area in Manila

For the next six months or so, the head of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority will be holding office not in Makati City but in a flood-prone area of Manila.

MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino on Sunday said his temporary office on España Boulevard in Manila will give him a firsthand view of floods once they occur.

Tolentino said the office will be near the University of Santo Tomas campus along España, as well as V. Mapa Street in Santa Mesa.

He said he will move to the España office on Tuesday.

"Temporary lang, magtatagal until December," he said in the MMDA's weekly program on dzBB radio.

Tolentino added that he will also have with him units from the MMDA's flood control, traffic engineering and traffic discipline units.

"Kung kailangan ng libreng sakay nariyan kami," he said.

A report by dzBB's Rodil Vega said Tolentino inspected the office Monday and checked the dredging along España Boulevard.

In past weeks, parts of Metro Manila had been affected by floods brought by heavy rain. The floods stranded many students and commuters.

The MMDA reported that some people deliberately clog the drainage along España to earn fast money by pushing stalled vehicles. — DVM, GMA News