Administrative Order (AO) No. 116, series of 2016 was issued by Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan late last year creating the city’s Anti-Road Obstruction Task Force (ARO) to help clear the city’s roads from obstructions that will result in a better flow of traffic for the convenience of the riding public and motorists. The ARO is composed of representatives from concerned government agencies, the city government, and the barangays. Deputized barangay officials are tasked to implement traffic rules and regulations in their respective areas of jurisdiction as well as issue the appropriate citation tickets to violators. The ARO seeks to intensify the implementation of traffic rules and regulations in the city’s 128 barangays to instill discipline among motorists and prevents unscrupulous vehicle owners from using the roads as the parking spaces constricting even further the narrow barangay roads around the city.
To date, some 98 barangays are reportedly strictly implementing the pertinent provisions of the ARO directive, apart from those related traffic rules and regulations in their respective areas of jurisdiction. The other barangays have requested for additional time to implement the order because they are still consulting with their constituents on the identification of common parking areas. In some barangay, officials are still to identify the barangay officials who will be deputized to implement the directive of removing the obstructions in their places. More than 700 barangay officials and volunteers were already deputized by the local chief executive to help strictly enforce the anti-road obstruction order at the barangay levels with the hope that traffic congestions in their respective places have somewhat improved over the past several months.
Based on the testimonies of some barangay residents, there has been a significant improvement in the traffic flow in their respective places while others claim that there is still a proliferation of a number of undisciplined motorists who refuse to comply with the order because of their influence and standing in their barangays. In one barangay, it is observed that the roadside going to an elementary school is always full of parked vehicles while young children walk on the streets endangering their lives. On the other hand, some observers noted that the ARO implementation has also become a money-making activity of barangay officials because they started marking portions of roads in their areas of jurisdiction that only served as parking spaces for specific individuals, a clear violation of the directive. Other observations noted were some residents seem to have already obtained a title over a portion of the road fronting their houses because they have marked it as reserved parking for their own vehicles. Some residents use plant boxes and used tires as markers just to prevent others from parking their vehicles in front of their houses.
In terms of law enforcement, people raised the observation that most traffic enforcers except for SPO3 AbertoTadeo refuse to issue the appropriate traffic citation ticket to motor vehicles, especially if the illegally parked motor vehicles are the top of the line ones while others seem to ignore the obstructions on most roads. However, most of them are doing their job right pursuant to existing local and national laws to help decongest the worsening traffic congestions around the city, especially during the weekend where there is always a heavy traffic anywhere in the city with the influx of motor vehicles owned by tourists.
We commend the deputized barangay officials and volunteers for their dedication in exercising their additional responsibility in clearing the roads in their barangays from obstructions mostly by motor vehicles parked by irresponsible constituents. There should be a sustained implementation of the anti-road obstruction order to teach the residents to provide for the needed parking spaces within their properties when building their houses or to work out parking spaces inside their properties. The roads are public property and must be enjoyed by all, especially pedestrians who walk to school or work. Roadsides fronting private properties cannot be used as parking space for lot owners. It is not the obligation of the government to provide private lot owners with parking spaces. Motor vehicle owners must take the initiative to establish their parking spaces before even thinking of buying motor vehicles for themselves.
We deplore the actions of some barangay officials who are using the anti-road obstruction order to make money. The collection of fees from owners of illegally parked vehicles is just secondary because what is important is the roads are from obstructions to ensure the smooth flow of vehicles around the city and reduce the congestions even in the narrowest barangay roads.
Let us learn to cooperate with the standing police against obstructions. Let us not be part of the problem because there are other bigger things which barangay officials should look into. Let the purpose of the anti-road obstruction order be realized and not for the traffic situation in the city to worsen.
