Thousands of traffic enforcers make a great effort to maintain the Philippine capital's particularly gridlocked infrastructure moving about every day, but Ramiro Hinojas is extraordinary and does it with a smile and a little help from Michael Jackson.

The struts and footwork may have been imitated from the King of Pop, Hinojas' departed American idol, but the flash and enthusiasm by which he mixes them with hand signals to direct pleased motorists are distinctively his own.

His smooth moves, which have appeared on Youtube, have made him a small celebrity and a champion for the country's poorly paid traffic force that is trying to cope with the unworkable task of attempting to keep roads running freely.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the group that watches over traffic management in the megacity of 12 million, said it has about 2,000 full-time enforcers employed as of this time.

The number, on the other hand, could run into the numerous thousands because an assortment of districts where the MMDA does not only operate but also represents their own traffic volunteers. Hinojas is one of those deputies, and without a doubt the most colourful.

With their blue or green uniforms, the enforcers gather small and big crossroads even when there are rightly working traffic lights, ready to pounce on blundering speedsters who are won't to ignore the signals. They are understood to assist when traffic lights fail, or when recurrent floods render areas blocked.

Hinojas said his dance routines were precisely meant to relieve all kinds of tensions. For instance, it's a commonly occurring thing that a car should be found in the middle of a junction while the light turns red. Seeing Hinojas dance often diffuses road rage connected to these traffic flaws. And amused commuters often show their approval by honking their horns, as he twists and pirouettes to pull in oncoming traffic.