Free rides at EDSA to mark MMDA's 36th anniversary

Free rides for the public along Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) will be among the highlights of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority's 36th anniversary on Tuesday, November 8. MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino will lead the celebration, along with members of the Metro Manila Council (MMC) composed of Metro Manila's 17 mayors. "In appreciation to the public's support for the programs of the MMDA, several MMDA buses will be dispatched to EDSA to offer free rides to commuters," the MMDA said in a news release. Also invited to the Nov. 8 event are former MMDA chairpersons, members of the House of Representatives, the Metro Manila Spouses Foundation Inc., and heads of other government agencies and foreign dignitaries. With the theme "MMDA @ 36: Maaasahan, Kabalikat sa Pagbabago," the agency's anniversary will start with a five-kilometer Fun Run to be participated by 500 MMDA employees at Bonifacio Global City at 5:30 a.m. Tolentino will lead the flag ceremony at the MMDA grounds at the corner of EDSA and Orense Street in Makati City, where traffic enforcers of the Traffic Discipline Office (TDO) will conduct a pass-in-review to honor MMDA officials and guests. Other activities include:

• food bazaar and tiangge
• a health and wellness program for employees
• a video and photo exhibit and a garage sale at the MMDA lobby

Also, the MMDA will give out special awards and citations to outstanding employees, especially those who have been in service for more than 30 years. "This would be a memorable day not just for the MMDA but for the entire Metro Manila. At 36 years, we have come a long way, we have endured and persevered, and we will still be here for decades to come, providing basic, metro-wide services within Metro Manila," Tolentino said. The MMDA performs planning, monitoring and coordinating functions, and exercises regulatory and supervisory authority over the delivery of metro-wide services within Metro Manila. Created by Presidential Decree 824 issued by then President Ferdinand Marcos, the MMDA started out as the Metro Manila Commission (MMC) on November 7, 1975. At the time, it integrated Manila and adjacent Quezon City with two cities and 12 towns in Rizal and one town in Bulacan. Former First Lady Imelda Marcos was then the appointed Metro Manila governor, with Ismael Mathay, Jr. as vice-governor. On January 9, 1990, the MMC became the Metro Manila Authority (MMA) through Executive Order No. 392. Now Vice President Jejomar Binay was its first chairman. The agency was officially renamed MMDA on March 1, 1995 through the passage of Republic Act 7924. — LBG, GMA News