Man who dances through traffic

CEBU, Philippines - In an intersection down the Mandaue-Mactan Bridge, one would find Jim Potot dancing through moving motorcycles, cars, and jeepneys.

A typical work day for the 44-year-old Lapu-Lapu City traffic enforcer begins with him putting his black headphones on and turning on his MP3 player to the techno-pop music of the 80s before swaying his hands and body in the middle of rush hour traffic.

This has become Potot's routine everyday for the last two years since he was hired by the City Traffic Management Systems to man traffic near the bridge.

From afar, Potot's physique appears to be that of a slim and frail man, but when he starts to groove, his energy overflows.

"Pawagtang sa kalaay. Pag-abante sa sakyanan, akoang sayaw-sayawan aron malingaw (It's to entertain motorists. I dance through moving vehicles to alleviate their boredom)," Potot said.

It used to be an eight-hour work schedule for Potot. But since the Lapu-Lapu City is about to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings, Potot's daily grind has changed to a 16-hour shift from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays.

He spends his day-off with his family at home on Sundays.

While skeptics have reservations with how he handles traffic, Potot does not actually find dancing on the street to be risky.

"Wala ra man, mora ra man ko og nag-exercise. Mga driver sa sakyanan ug mga turista, malingaw sad. Moingun gud na sila nako og, 'Idol!' Mura ko og artista, sige sila og kaway-kaway (It just feels like I'm doing exercise. Drivers and tourists would wave to me. They even call me their idol, as if I was a famous actor)," Potot said.

CTMS chief Frank Brazil himself finds nothing wrong with Potot's traffic management style.

"Actually, naa ra man na nila aron ma-enjoy sila sa ilahang gibuhat. At least dili sila kapuyon ug ma-bored, maganahan sila og trabaho. Makita man nimo sa Internet, all over the world, naa'y mga traffic enforcer nga mosayaw," he said.

Brazil, however, cautioned that dancing traffic enforcers like Potot need to take extra care in their work.

Potot's favorite music to go with his dancing is Modern Talking band's "Do You Wanna." The music, he said, just fits the way vehicles move.

When he was younger, Potot was a disco fan.   

"Kung dili dinhi sa (Barangay) Poblacion, makig-bayle o makig-disco ko didto sa Mandaue, Cordova, sa laing siyudad, moabot pa gani ko og Argao (If not in Poblacion, I'd go to discos in Mandaue City or Cordova, even as far as Argao)."

He said he takes pride in his job as a dancing traffic man since it feeds his family and sustains their needs.

Before working with CTMS, Potot, a resident of Sitio Basak-Eskwelahan in Barangay Basak, had tried many other jobs in order to raise his family.

Upon high school graduation, he worked as a conductor, then as a jeepney dispatcher, then a trisikad driver, and finally a balut vendor.

By the time he was selling balut, Basak Barangay Captain Isabelito Darnayla invited him to work as a member of the Barangay Peacekeeping and Safety Office where he worked as a tanod or watchman.   

Potot became a barangay tanod for three years and he helped control traffic in a public school and assisted students in crossing the street. After this stint, he was eventually hired by CTMS.

A video of Potot dancing while managing traffic flow went viral on the social media last week. He did not know that his video, showing him dancing like a robot to the tune of Miley Cyrus song, had been feasted on the social networking sites.

He said he was glad that people see the optimism in him and that he has become an inspiration for others.

Potot said he feels contented with his current work and his God-given talent. With it, he was able to send his two daughters to college. (FREEMAN)