IN an interview this week with The Manila Times TV’s “Congress Diaries,” Buhay party-list representative and former Manila mayor Jose “Lito” Atienza revealed he had filed a bill in Congress to replace the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) with an elected governor, essentially treating the National Capital Region (NCR or Metro Manila) as another province of the country. We think this is an idea whose time has come, although it is not without its risks.

Atienza’s reasoning is that the current structure of the MMDA, which has demonstrated to not be effective, is but a poor copy of governance systems of other large metropolitan areas. An elected governor, who derives his or her power from the people, would have greater authority and could more productively manage the work done now by the MMDA.