MANILA, Philippines — The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is planning to offer its own quarantine facility to the government to become a national COVID-19 vaccination center, the agency reported on Friday (January 22).

The isolation facility, located at the agency’s headquarters in Makati, was established last May 2020 for MMDA employees who need to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine.

MMDA said that the conversion of the 800 square meter facility will help the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to expedite the distribution and administration of the vaccines as it plans to roll out the inoculation program next month.

“The MMDA quarantine facility is open for any national government agency that needs a place to efficiently roll out the anti-COVID-19 vaccination program,” said MMDA Chairman Benhur Abalos.

“We are always willing to lend assistance to stop the transmission of disease at the soonest time possible so we can go back to normal again,” he added.

Abalos also shared his plan to have all the agency’s employees undergo a monthly RT-PCR swab test to ensure their health and safety.

“Our personnel’s welfare is our topmost priority. We need to make sure that they are safe from the dangers of COVID-19. This is one of our ways to help the national government in curbing the spread of the disease,” Abalos said. MNP / Raymund David

MANILA, Philippines — The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will push through with its plan to close the EDSA U-turn slot at General Malvar in Bagong Barrio, Caloocan City on Monday (January 11).

“The U-turn slot located along Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue in General Malvar / Bagong Barrio area shall be closed to vehicular traffic effective January 11, Monday, in line with the Department of Transportation’s EDSA Busway project,” the MMDA said in an advisory released last Friday.

With the closure of the said U-turn slot, motorists from northbound going southbound are advised to take the Monumento Circle or those coming from Quezon City may also take Balintawak Cloverleaf.

Since September 2020, the MMDA has so far closed six U-turn slots to give way to the government’s Busway Project.

For this project, the innermost lane of EDSA was designated as an exclusive lane for public utility buses (PUBs) traveling from Monumento, Caloocan City to SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City, and vice versa. —/mbmf

MANILA, Philippines — Former Mandaluyong City mayor Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. has been named as the new chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), replacing former chair Danilo Lim who passed away last week.

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go made the confirmation on the change in the MMDA leadership in a text message to the press on Sunday (January 10).

Go added that Abalos is expected to take his oath of office on Monday.

Malacañang has yet to make an official confirmation of Abalos’ appointment.

Abalos served as the mayor of Mandaluyong City from 1998 to 2004, and from 2007 to 2016. He also served as representative of Mandaluyong City from 2004 to 2007.

The former Mandaluyong Mayor’s father, Benjamin Sr., also served as MMDA chairman from 2001 to 2002.

The MMDA is mandated to plan, monitor, coordinate, and regulate the delivery of services in Metro Manila. —/mbmf