Being part of solutions

Egay Uy

THE meeting called by the committee on Roads and Traffic Management of Councilor Romeo Calizo on Nov. 14, 2017 was fruitful, to say the least. The lone agendum was how to address the negative perception regarding the behavior of some traffic enforcers.

As the RTA has been saying that it welcomes feedback from the public on the behavior or misdemeanor of traffic enforcers on the road because it is one way of helping the RTA leadership see beyond their physical reach how field personnel behave and conduct themselves on the road.

As part of how the RTA will address the reported misdemeanor of traffic enforcers on the road, it will review its budgetary requirements for training and retraining. In fact, it was Councilor Calizo who brought to the attention of the RTA that the proposed budget for training for 2018 is too small.

In that meeting, I also suggested to the Calizo committee the creation of an office or position which will have jurisdiction over complaints against the behavior of traffic enforcers and on contests against the propriety of the apprehension itself.  This may be likened to the People’s Law Enforcement Board which hears cases against police officers.

This could address unfounded accusations and will also serve as a venue for road users to formally air their grievances. Except maybe for a snowballing negative public perception, shouting out through the social media will hardly officially resolve concerns brought up even as this also serves as an input to the RTA in improving its services.

The Calizo committee should be commended for looking for solutions not only to the pressing issues at hand but also for long-term solutions aimed at making the RTA an effective traffic manager. It also encouraged the traffic unit of the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office and the RTA to closely collaborate to solve the traffic condition of the city.

The committee on public utilities of Councilor Teodulfo Lao has also initiated a regular weekly seminar for public utility vehicle operators and drivers.  Seminars are currently ongoing every Friday and will culminate in a Friday next month.

Then, not too long ago, Councilor Ian Mark Nacaya took the lead in clearing the sidewalks in and near the major markets, and this has made the peripheral roads around Cogon Market highly passable. The RTA and Cocpo are in constant collaboration to maintain what has been achieved so far.

Again, traffic is everybody’s concern.  Hence the collaborative effort of both the local legislators, members of the executive branch will expectedly bring forth improvements in the management of traffic in the city.

This, plus the cooperation of road users will surely translate into a more orderly road use in the near future.

(Egay Uy, a lawyer, is the city’s Task Force Hapsay Dalan chairman.)