A day after being castigated for his failure to improve the perennial traffic situation in the metropolis, the head of the traffic operations center of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has beefed up its workforce to meet the his one month deadline.

Angelito Vergel de Dios, Traffic Operations Center executive director, admitted that traffic is typically traffic during the Christmas season but traffic will work double time and overtime to ensure, anyhow, smooth traffic flow in major thoroughfares in Metro Manila.

“We will do our best to follow order... we are good soldiers,” said De Dios stressed.

Traffic enforcers will be assigned at critical areas and specific areas of concerns, like in shopping malls, carnivals, and entertainment centers, in anticipation of the influx of large volume of people that would go to these places.

Inocentes said that they will also keep a watch on bus terminals, including provincial bus stations where thousands of commuters are predicted to travel to; vital installations, among others.

In this time of the year, volume of traffic increases 50 percent.

In front of the agency employees, De Dios got dressing down on a Monday morning from newly-designated chairman Oscar Inocentes for his failure to improve traffic flow and gave him one month deadline or face dismissal from service.

“I wasn’t expecting that...I did not react kasi there are projects and I know that we are doing all efforts and jobs to improve traffic situation,” De Dios said, who even reported the projects of the (TEC), noting that traffic monitoring was greatly improved with the installation of closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras in major thoroughfares.

Asked if Inocentes had a chance to inspect the metropolis with him, De Dios said, “hindi pa kasi dito pa lang sa loob ng opisina ang inaayos nya.”

De Dios, also said that he is waiting for Inocentes to personally inspect and observe the traffic situation on the streets.

“Ang pag-aaral ng traffic ay bunga ng matagal na experience kasi ang traffic paiba-iba, there is no permanent solution to it but improvement is doable,” he stressed.

According to Inocentes, his action triggered by a number of complaints from texts messages he is receiving, noting his dissatisfaction.

However, De Dios said that Inocentes should not just rely on text messages, adding, “ yung mga nagtetext kasi pwedeng galit sa akin or galit sa kanya. Hindi natin alam kung anong intention kung bakit sya nag-tetext.”

Inocentes also ordered De Dios to come up with solutions on criticized traffic schemes and abusive traffic enforcers, particularly those obtaining criticism, such as U-turn slots and beggars roaming the streets.

“As long as I am here, I will do the job. If he is not satisfied; discretion nila yun. Ok lang kung merong mas magaling na pwedeng gumawa ng trabaho,” De Dios concluded, pointing there is no animosity feeling on his part as is it part of the job.