Ex-traffic chief wants high visibility vests, uniforms for traffic personnel

CEBU, Philippines — While commending the City Government’s efforts in providing reflectorized vests to habal-habal drivers, former traffic czar and lawyer Rico Rey Francis Holganza is pushing for the use of a high visibility vests, uniforms and gadgets for traffic enforcers over their current uniforms for safety reasons.

Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia and City Councilor Jun Alcover led the distribution of these reflectorized vests to habal-habal driver's last Thursday.

The City’s Public Information Office reported that there are a total of 7,000 habal-habal drivers registered in the City of Cebu, but it did not specified whether all of them were able to receive the reflectorized vests.

“Safety na sa pasahero, safety sad sa driver. Kay kung mag-drive pod ka karon, then walay reflector, labi na og magabii, dili ka makita dayon sa mga driver. At least with the reflectorized vest, makatabang siya,” Alcover said.

Holganza said providing these drivers with reflectorized vests is a commendable initiative.

“(It is) a step in the right direction. Whoever came up with this project should be commended,” Holganza told The Freeman.

Holganza, however, wanted the intiative to be improved further by also giving the riders a neon or bright-colored long sleeves shirts.

“If the project proponent does not mind, I would humbly suggest to further improve on this initiative. Nature sa habalhabal kay magpa angkas og pasahero. Once naay pasahero sa likod sa rider matabunan na ang vest. So perhaps it's better to also give the riders a neon or bright colored long sleeve shirts para naa pay makita bisan naay pasaherong naka angkas,” he said.

“I believe the purpose of this project is to make it safer for the habal-habal riders by ensuring their visibility on the road. And for as long as the reflectors are honest to goodness reflectors mas visible sila sa dalan. Otherwise, kung apeke ang reflectors you are only giving the riders a false sense of security na dali sila makita bisan dili,” he added.

Holganza, on the other hand, reiterated that traffic enforcers should be provided with high visibility vests, uniforms and gadgets.

“In so far as the traffic enforcers are concerned, I still stand by my previous statements that CCTO (Cebu City Traffic Office) should stop using black or camouflage colored shirts for field personnel. If the safety of their field personnel is truly their priority, then provide them with high visibiltiy vests, uniforms and gadgets,” Holganza said.

While Holganza and many others supported the move to provide habal-habal driver's with reflectorized vests, there are also some who expressed that it is confusing them with traffic enforcers, tanods and even responders on the road.

City Councilor Rey Gealon, who replaced Holganza in the Traffic Management Committee in a separate interview with The Freeman, also echoed Holganza’s statement saying that “high visibility motorcycle vest aids in the safety of these riders as they can be easily identified especially at nightime, in foggy areas by the mountainside, or low-light conditions in city streets - thus averting vehicular accidents or collisions."

Gealon said that even construction workers who are working at night, especially by the road, are encouraged to wear reflectorized clothing.

He said it is also easy to spot these drivers on reflectorized vest, and not to be mistaken with a traffic enforcer or a tanod as the vest provided will “have no patches."

Atty. Kent Francesco Jongoy, CCTO assistant head, said the traffic office is still working on the standardization of the uniform of CCTO personnel through an ordinance. — (FREEMAN)