The head of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority’s (MMDA) elite towing and clearing unit revealed Sunday that he receives eight to 10 death threats daily due to his enforcement work on the capital’s congested streets.
Gabriel Go, chief of the MMDA Special Operations Group–Strike Force, said the anonymous threats arrive via text messages, emails and letters.
While some can be brushed aside, Go said others are serious enough that cybercrime experts are now tracking the sources.
“The threats have become part of my daily grind,” Go said, stressing that the intimidation will not stop or slow down his team’s operations to clear major thoroughfares of illegal obstructions.
Go also pushed back against social media allegations that the MMDA aggressively issues traffic citations for financial gain.
Netizens have frequently accused the agency of implementing ticket quotas to generate revenue.
“Every ticket payment directly goes to the national treasury. So, we do not earn from it,” Go said. “We are not in the business of ticketing... there is no quota or percentage because that is corruption.” He noted that all MMDA citation tickets are strictly accounted for and sanctioned by the Commission on Audit.
Turning to minor street hazards, Go discouraged residents from placing plastic bottles filled with blue-colored water on public roads. The practice is a widespread superstitious belief in local neighborhoods intended to deter stray dogs and cats from defecating on property borders.
Go clarified that these items are legally classified as road obstructions and will be seized by enforcement teams.
