MMDA clarifies no ban on mall-wide sales in Metro Manila

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Tuesday clarified reports that they have imposed a ban on mall-wide sales in the National Capital Region amid the Christmas rush.

MMDA's Victor Maria Nunez made the clarification at a Senate public services committee hearing on Tuesday.

"We never ban or prohibit the mall-wide sale. Wala hong black and white and we don't even have penalty sa magko-conduct noon," Nunez said.

According to the MMDA official, the agency only asked the mall operators not to conduct the mall-wide sale simultaneously and to adjust their operating hours and move it from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. from November 18 to December 25.

Apart from this, Nunez said that the MMDA appealed to mall operators to set the delivery in malls from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.

"All the mall operators agreed on that and we never prohibit each store or retailer from conducting their own sales. Kahit saan tayong mall pumunta ngayon, halos lahat naman po ng tindahan may nakalagay na sale," he said.

"Ang pakiusap lang namin is to coordinate with us at least two weeks before the sale, para at least maplano natin 'yung ating traffic lalo na yung mga malls along EDSA," he added.

(Whatever mall we visit these days, almost all have stores announcing they have a sale. Our request is to coordinate with us… so we could at least plan traffic management especially the malls along EDSA.)

In October, the MMDA asked malls in NCR to open at 11 a.m. from November 18 to December 25 in light of the expected heavier traffic during the Christmas season.

MMDA chairperson Romando Artes earlier said the closing time will depend on the discretion of mall owners.

There are 131 malls in NCR and 29 of them are located along EDSA, according to Artes.

The MMDA chief said around 421,000 vehicles pass EDSA per day. The average travel speed along EDSA is estimated at 19.95 kilometers per hour for northbound and 18.13 kilometers per hour for southbound.
—RF, GMA Integrated News