by: Forwarded Email
I just reached my limit last weekend, and decided to take action against the abusive MMDA enforcers. I basically called up the MMDA head office and inquired from the Personnel Officer, Antonio Pagulayan, to clarify their policies. Here is what I got.
If any of these abuses seem familiar to you, Mr. Pagulayan has asked that you call either the MMDA hotline (136) or call the METRO BASE at 0920 9389861or 0920 9389875 and ask for an Inspectorate. They will send inspectors to the place where these MMDA officers are extorting, even while you are arguing out of your apprehension.
1. MMDA officers are not allowed to group together in order to apprehend.
They are not even allowed to stand together in groups of 2 or more. The only time they are allowed to work together is for special operations (probably when they apprehend groups of buses for smoke belching).
2. Swerving IS NOT a traffic violation. Moving one lane to the left or right is not swerving, no matter where on the road you do it. And it is even less of a violation when you do it with a signal. Swerving is defined as shifting 2 or more lanes very quickly. So you can argue your way out of this, and call the Metro Base for help.
3. Sadly, using the yellow lane is a traffic violation and will get you a ticket. However, buses are really not allowed to go out of the yellow lane, so if you see selective apprehension of private cars only, you may complain.
4. MMDA has confirmed that your license MAY NOT BE CONFISCATED at a traffic apprehension. The only time they can do so is if you are part of an accident, or it is your third violation and you have not settled your fines yet. They are only allowed to give you a ticket, which you can contest. He recommends actually receiving the ticket in some instances, so that you can report the officer who did it.
Also, you are free to ask any of these officers for their "mission order", which is written by their supervisor. If they apprehend you for a violation that is not in their mission order for the day, you can report them and they will receive disciplinary action.
TOOLS AGAINST MMDA OFFICERS
Real Estate, Real Issues
Hi, if you have plans to invest in real estate, you should be very meticulous with the way their sales representatives/brokers/account executives treat you on your first inquiry. I like to make inquiries because that's my way of updating myself with what is happening in the real estate world.
For me, first impressions last when it comes to real estate investing. If they didn't treat you right the first time, would you still want to put your money in their projects? Customer should be king here because when the investor puts in his money into real estate, it's mega-bucks. So don't settle for poor service.
Not only that, no matter how stable a company is, remember that almost 99% of the projects being sold out there are PRESELLING, meaning, they're actually using your money to pay for the construction of their projects. No corporate spin can convince me to think otherwise.
You, the buyer, is shouldering the cost, and RISK of the construction of a condominium project (or whatever project) that will be turned over only after what? 3? 4 years? So do you think it is right if they treat you like a person with no money upon first inquiry?
Service should still be excellent even if you don't pursue a project. The servicing broker or agent is the face of the real estate company. Some are only after commissions and you'll know it from the looks on their faces. So the blame may not entirely be on the real estate company, it can be on the agent.
I'd like to think that if the servicing is already a problem, I would be as paranoid when the day comes that they release the title/CCT, if at all.
Some of the worst I've experienced with regards to inquiry are the following:
Empire East Land
Megaworld Corp
GW Architects
Some of the best I've encountered are:
Ayala Land
SM Development Corp
Federal Land
Consumerism
Consumerism is the equating ofpersonal happiness with the purchasing ofmaterial possessions and consumption.It is often associated with criticismsof consumption starting with Karl Marxand Thorstein Veblen. MORE...
The 8 Basic Consumer Rights
- The Right to Basic Needs
- The Right to Safety
- The Right to Information
- The Right to Choose
- The Right to Representation
- The Right to Redress
- The Right to Consumer Education
- The Right to a Healthy Environment
