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By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent

THE worsening traffic problem in the city proved to be life-threatening when a woman gave birth in a van that got caught in the middle of a traffic jam that stretched from Lapasan to Gusa on Tuesday night.

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The woman, identified as Charmaine Pabigo of Barangay Lapasan, was being rushed to the Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC) when the vehicle was stuck in the traffic jam that was blamed by the Roads and Traffic Administration (RTA) on a vehicular accident near Agora, Lapasan, and on the flooding of a portion of Limketkai Center and the Mindanao University of Science and Technology (Must).

Pabigo reportedly gave birth near a gasoline station at the junction of Agora Road and Recto Ave. at around 7 pm. The van reached the NMMC past 8 pm, and Pabigo and her newborn were immediately treated at the NMMC’s delivery room.

NMMC personnel said Pabigo and her baby were well and, for a still unclear reason, they left the hospital at 4 am yesterday.

Roads and Traffic Administration (RTA) officials had no idea that Tuesday night’s traffic jam put at risk two lives. RTA chief Nonito Oclarit said he has not received a report about the incident but he said there were traffic law enforcers assigned at the Agora-Recto junction.

Engr. Oclarit blamed Tuesday night’s vehicular traffic congestion on a vehicular collision near the Agora-Recto junction.

“Naay bangga mga 7 pm diha sa Recto, in front sa BPI. Mao to ang naka grabi sa traffic,” said Oclarit. The traffic jam however started much earlier, after the heavy downpour which the state weather bureau said was caused by a local thunderstorm.

But Insp. Eldie Gacus, deputy traffic director of the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (Cocpo), said the traffic jam was a result of the flooding in Lapasan resulting from the overflowing of the Bitan-ag Creek.

Gacus said vehicular congestions were reported on JR Borja-extension, CM Recto Ave., Osmeña St., Corrales St., Velez St. all the way to the Divisoria area.

Oclarit said RTA’s traffic law enforcers worked until 9 pm as they supposedly do from Monday to Sunday.

One of Gold Star Daily’s vans that was used by this paper’s personnel left this paper’s Gusa office at around 6:15 pm and reached downtown Cagayan de Oro at around 8 pm. The staff members said they only saw two RTA traffic aides on CM Recto Ave.––one was standing in the middle of the road near Agora-Recto junction, blowing a whistle but giving motorists no directions, and another who merely stood at the road shoulder, staring at the vehicles near the “NVPAS” area.

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