New traffic body formed

CEBU, Philippines - The Metro Cebu Traffic Council was formally created yesterday to put order in the streets of Metro Cebu, its enforcers will use Temporary Operators Permits instead of citation tickets in apprehending erring drivers effective next year.

The newly-created unified traffic policy-making body in Metro Cebu will be composed of authorized representatives from each local government unit as well as from the business sector and from the Land Transportation Office and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board.

The members of the Metro Cebu Traffic Council have agreed to appoint businessman Bunny Pages as chairman of the newly-created unified traffic policy-making body. Even before he was appointed to the position, Pages already acted as the moderator of yesterday’s traffic conference with the mayors and heads of the various traffic enforcement units in Metro Cebu.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and the other mayors who attended the event yesterday hope the creation of the MCTC will solve the traffic congestion problem in Metro Cebu.

“It is now the time to make a change,” said Mand aue City Mayor Jonas Cortes who admitted that traffic is really one of the problems in Mandaue City because the vehicles coming from Lapu-Lapu City and the northern areas of Cebu pass by their area of jurisdiction heading to Cebu City.

Businessman Roberto “Bobby” Aboitiz who also attended the gathering welcomed the creation of the unified traffic policy-making body.

He said that while plane travel from Manila to Cebu takes an hour, travel from the Mactan Cebu International Airport to his home in Cebu City take just as long because of traffic congestion.

Eric Ng Mendoza, president of the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said heavy traffic actually discourages businessmen from putting up businesses in a particular area.

Consolacion town Mayor Teresita Alegado expects the traffic problem in her town to worsen once the plan of SM to construct a mall there materializes.

She suggested that the MCTC should recommend to the proper government agencies to widen the narrow roads in her town which is approximately 13 kilometers northeast of Cebu City.

It was the proposal of assistant Mandaue City prosecutor Bienvenido Mabanto Jr., who heads the traffic policy-making body in Mandaue City, that all the traffic enforcement arms of the various cities and municipalities in Metro Cebu use TOPs instead of citation tickets in apprehending erring drivers for violations great and small.

While a citation ticket only records a traffic violation, the issuance of a TOP means the confiscation of a license.

Cebu City Traffic Operations Management chairman Sylvan “Jack” Jakosalem said the only effect if traffic enforcers no longer use citation tickets in apprehending erring drivers is that their collections from the fines will be reduced.

If the apprehending officers will already use TOPs the fines of the apprehended driver will directly go to the national government through the LTO.

“Tan-awon nato og dili ba mahadlok ang mga drayber paghimo’g mga kalapasan sa traffic laws kon kitang tanan TOP g’yud pulos ang gamiton,” said Mabanto. The erring drivers pay higher fines if the apprehending officers will use TOPs and they really have to pay their fines to be able to claim their licenses from the LTO, unlike when they are merely issued a citation ticket. LTO-7 Regional Director Raul Aguilos said he will ask for more TOPs from their central office.

Jakosalem said of the 280 traffic enforcers in Cebu City, 200 of them are already deputized by the LTO, but in Mandaue City only 17 of the 74 traffic enforcers are deputized by the LTO and are allowed to issue TOPs to erring drivers.

Mandaue City PUJ driver Tiburcio Abelgas admitted that there are several drivers of public utility vehicles who intentionally violate the law.

“Dili man g’yud ta madakpan kon magtinarong lang pag-drive ug dili moabuso,” he said. - /BRP (FREEMAN)