Ordinance No. 7, series of 1984 otherwise known as the city’s Comprehensive Traffic and Transport Management Ordinance was crafted to put in place the appropriate plans for the effective and efficient management of the city’s traffic and transport system. Subsequently, the city’s Traffic and Transportation Management Committee (TTMC) was organized to serve as the policy-making body for all issues and concerns of traffic and transportation management in the city.
In the late 1990s, the local government was able to predict the unabated increase in the number of public utility vehicles plying the city’s roads. It requested the Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to issue a moratorium on the issuance of certificates of public convenience or franchises to applicants for the operation of public utility vehicles to prevent the unabated increase in motor vehicles that will affect the smooth flow of traffic around the city.
Despite the existence of the granted moratorium on the issuances of franchises in the city public utility vehicles continued to increase because of the alleged unscrupulous practices of applicants who were then in cahoots with earing officials of the former Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC), now the Department of Transportation (DOTR). It resulted to the uncontrolled proliferation of purported legitimate vehicles but were considered as colorum vehicles that continued to ply the city’s streets. The problem has continued to date because of the virtual failure of both the concerned government agencies and the local government to get their acts together to address the continued increase in the number of motor vehicles plying the city’s streets, among other controversial franchising issues and concerns.
The local government continues to exert extra effort to remedy the worsening traffic situation, especially around the central business district and roads leading to premier tourist destinations during weekends. Their efforts remain in vain primarily because of the alleged unabated issuance of franchises by the concerned agency that contributes daily to the uncontrollable volume of vehicles on the streets. The city’s traffic woes are compounded by the numerous undisciplined drivers who seem to prevail over the disciplined ones, aggravated by the insufficient number of police personnel dedicated to man traffic around the city. The installation of streetlights in critical intersections might have contributed in easing traffic, but a major culprit in compounding headaches among local officials when finding appropriate solutions to the problem are the huge volume of vehicles.
Worse, those holding sensitive positions in the DOTR are even not from the Cordillera. They are not fully aware of the culture of the people and they try to employ their harassment-style management that seems unsuitable in a region that does not believe in the convictions they try to ram down its throat.
Lately, the local government embarked on the creation of the controversial Anti-Road Obstruction (ARO) order that deputized concerned barangay officials to go after illegally parked vehicles in their barangays to help prevent road congestions and overcrowding in their barangays even during night time.
We believe that what is required is a multi-faceted approach to systematically deal with the city’s traffic woes at one time, to be enforced by the local government and concerned agencies. We no longer need the lip service of our leaders because what we need is drastic and aggressive action among law enforces, city officials, barangay officials and even the participation of volunteers to show our erring motorists that we do not tolerate their illegal activities that contribute to the worsening traffic around the city.
While we need visitors to frequent our city because of its status as the undisputed Summer Capital and one of the premier tourist destinations in the country, we need to inform and educate them that this is what we do in our city and they must abide by our strict traffic rules and regulations to prevent being fined or imprisoned. The imposition of higher penalties to traffic violators may be an option so people with money would not easily violate traffic laws and can immediately pay their fines. It will also prevent the ordinary people from unscrupulously parking their vehicles anywhere.
We really need an ‘iron hand’ to keep control of the situation at this time. We deserve career people who effectively and efficiently manage our traffic and transport system. We do not need at the helm politicians for who only matter are the votes they will get when giving favors to people. Such practice of our local leaders to prevent erring motorists from seeking the protection of their benefactors in trying to evade being excessively fined because of simple traffic violations. People should wake up to reality and not vote for those who in our midst seem to be protecting illegal activities. We deserve upright and moral leaders who can show the way toward elevating our city a notch higher in terms of effective and efficient traffic management.
