Got a problem? Take a photo

By Tarra V. Quismundo, Inquirer

TIRED OF SEEING garbage on the road? Are you bothered by the sight of open manholes or vendors who block traffic by hawking their wares on sidewalks? Then take a picture and send it to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

Beginning next year, residents in the metropolis who own a cellular phone equipped with a camera can shoot pictures of any situation or problem they encounter on the road and forward them to the MMDA for action.

"This is one way of communicating with our citizens. The whole idea is to involve [the public] ... As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words," said MMDA general manager Robert Nacianceno.

The new mobile phone feedback service, to be launched in January, is an upgrade of the agency's present feedback system which allows the public to send their complaints through text messaging or by calling up 136, the MMDA hotline.

"We are now developing the system. We have already set it up, and we are testing it internally first among our directors, and how we could refer the message to the proper department upon receipt," said Nacianceno.

Once available, motorists and commuters can forward their complaints, ranging from delinquent MMDA traffic enforcers, flooded streets to mounting piles of trash, to the agency using the Multimedia Messaging Service feature of their cellular phones.

Nacianceno said the MMDA was still working on a mechanism that would inform senders of the action taken on their complaints.

The mobile phone feedback service system was also undergoing more tests to ensure that computers processing the picture messages would not crash when deluged with multiple messages.

The MMDA has also talked with officials of telecom firms Globe, Smart and Sun Cellular about their possible involvement in the new feedback service system.