Rep. Enrique Garcia Jr. of the National Unity Party (NUP) has proposed the creation of a planning and implementing agency that will integrate and harmonize the delivery of certain basic services, including enforcement of traffic laws, between and among the cities and municipalities of the province of Bataan.
Garcia, who represents the 2nd district of Bataan, said the agency, to be known as the Metro Bataan Development Authority (MBDA), will provide services which have province-wide impact, transcend legal political boundaries or entail massive expenditures that cannot be funded individually by the local government units (LGUs).
House Bill 4028 spells out the MBDA’s coverage, authority, functions and responsibilities.
Under Garcia’s measure, the MBDA is authorized to exercise regulatory and supervisory authority over the delivery of province-wide services in Bataan based on the Memorandum of Agreement executed among the member LGUs.
The bill requires all member cities and municipalities to contribute a portion of its annual revenue for the operation and implementation of the MBDA’s projects. The MBDA is also empowered to levy fines and impose service fees and charges, the bill states.
The agency, which will be placed under the Office of the Governor, shall implement the policies approved by the Metro Bataan Development Council, Garcia said.
Garcia’s proposed law, to be known as the "Metro Bataan Development Authority Act of 2014," directs the MBDA to undertake and manage its own approved plans and projects for the delivery of specific services under its jurisdiction.
“The bill is consonant with the declared policy of the State to encourage its city and municipalities to group themselves and coordinate their efforts, services and resources, which are commonly beneficial to them,” he noted.
Under HB 4028, the MBDA shall be headed by a General Manager, who will have the rank and privileges of head of a department of the Provincial Government of Bataan to be appointed by the Governor.
The MBDA shall set the policies concerning traffic in the Province, coordinate and regulate the implementation of all approved programs and projects concerning traffic management specifically pertaining to enforcement, engineering and education, HB 4028 states.
Under the bill, MBDA personnel are mandated to enforce, impose and collect fines and penalties for all kinds of violations of traffic laws, ordinances, rules and regulations, whether moving or non-moving in nature and confiscate and suspend or revoke driver's licenses in the enforcement of traffic laws and regulations.
The measure also provides that the MBDA shall have an approved master plan that shall serve as the framework for the local development plans of the component LGUs.