Three lawmakers, who are all former Metro Manila mayors, proposed the creation of a “superbody" to address all the public transportation concerns in the metropolis. The three lawmakers proposing the creation of the traffic superbody are:
Taguig Rep. Sigfrido Tinga; San Juan Rep. Jose Victor Ejercito, and Navotas Rep. Tobias Reynald Tiangco. They want the functions of Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), Land Transportation Office (LTO), and the transport management function of Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to be consolidated in one agency. Metro Manila Transport Authority “It’s about time that we have a Metro Manila Transport Authority (MMTA)," Tinga said, referring to the proposed traffic superbody. Ejercito said there should be one coordinating office for all the transport concerns. “Pag nagkaroon ng MMTA mas magiging maayos yung palakad hindi tulad ngayon na may LTFRB, may LTO na hiwa-hiwalay. Siguro kung ipagsasama-sama sa isang agency mas magiging maayos," he said. (If there will be an MMTA, the management of traffic would be less complicated, unlike now that there is an LTFRB, LTO, it's all separate. Maybe these should be incorporated into one agency so that everything would be organized.) Tinga said they are now polishing the bill proposing the creation of MMTA which they will file in the House of Representatives. MMTA will run the public transit in Metro Manila and handle the concerns on routes, parking slots, awarding of franchises, not only of buses but jeepneys and tricycles as well, among others. “It’s going to be a superbody for a metropolis. If you look at major cities around the world, most of them have something like this, a transport authority that oversees all these things. I think yun ang kulang sa atin," he said. Tinga said the MMTA will be tasked to formulate a traffic plan that would state the exact time of departure and arrival of buses from a particular station to another. While the MMTA is yet to be created, the three lawmakers said MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino should have the chance to implement his plan, the number coding for buses in particular, to reduce the number of vehicles on EDSA. Tinga said the bus companies, instead of opposing the plan, should help cleaning their ranks of colorums. Different agencies Bunutin na yang function sa LTFRB, LTO, at MMDA (Take away that function from the LTFRB, LTO, and MMDA)," Tinga said in a news forum in Quezon City on Thursday. The LTFRB is tasked to: prescribe and regulate routes of service; issue permits authorizing the operation of public land transportation services, and prescribe and approve fares and rates, among others. The LTO is mandated to: inspect motor vehicles; issue licences and permits, and enforce land transportation rules, among others. The MMDA is tasked to: assist the 17 local government units (cities and municipalities) in Metro Manila in crafting an integrated development plan to decongest traffic, and implement traffic laws and regulations, among other concerns. Tinga likened the handling of the traffic situation in Metro Manila to having too many cooks spoiling the broth. “Andami daming kusinero dito pero sino ba talaga ang nagbibigay ng direksyon. Kaya kahit kami naguguluhan nung mayor kami e dahil kahit kami nakikihalo pa, kusinero din kami," he added. (There are many cooks here but who is really giving direction? When we were still mayors, we were also confused because even us joined in the fray; we were also cooks.) – VVP, GMANews.TV 
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