It’s pretty acceptable for government agencies especially the chiefs to go on the defensive if their handle of things get questioned. So the MMDA was in an embarrassing spot when one of their top officials said that the speed guns they have on Commonwealth Avenue worked poorly at night during a House hearing in light of tragedy that struck Prof. Chit Simbulan of UP.

This bit about the was immediately corrected by  MMDA chief Francis Tolentino saying that the guns worked well at night and that they are operational 24/7. Tolentino clarified that the guns can’t just capture pictures and video. They can still detect speeding vehicles and apprehend them through contact. MMDA was also reported to only own five speed guns.

I do sense a bit of BS coming from that clarification. The fact that the cameras have limited functionality makes it’s efficiency questionable. Okay, so geeks would probably say that speed isn’t exactly measured using the video and images but the fact that the speed guns don’t function fully at night makes it kind of hokey.

Come on, MMDA. We could already see the positive changes so we’d appreciate some transparency too.