MMDA defends 'peek-a-boo' footbridges
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 06/29/2009 10:23 AM
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MANILA - The Metro Manila Development Authority on Monday said it will not change the design of its footbridges despite a design flaw that allows peeping toms to look up the skirts of women using the bridges.
MMDA General Manager Robert Nacianceno said the steel footbridges have spaces in between the steps of its staircases as well as on the sides of the main bridge precisely to discourage lawless elements from robbing people using the structures.
"This has been an issue before but it's the security factor that is most important. If any part is covered, this is where the bad elements will hide," he told ABS-CBN's "Umagang Kay Ganda."
He said the open design is similar to the large, clear windows on coffee shops that allow people to look directly inside the store.
Public rights lawyer Ernesto Francisco Jr. earlier criticized the design of the MMDA footbridge on Legarda Street corner C.M. Recto Avenue because it allowed people to look up at the women who were using the footbridge. He said some males would sit under the footbridge and peek at the female students going up the steel bridge.
Nacianceno said the MMDA will build a fence under the bridge to keep away peeping toms. He also urged local authorities and ordinary citizens to reprimand any suspected peeping tom at the Legarda footbridge.
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