BY GEROME DALIPE IV
ILOILO City – The City Council has approved an ordinance creating the Traffic Transportation Management Office (TTMO).
The city council approved separating the new traffic office under the mayor’s office from the Public Order and Safety Management Office (POSMO), formerly the Public Safety and Transportation Management Office (PSTMO).
Councilor Rex Sarabia, the ordinance’s principal author, emphasized the tremendous growth of the city’s population and called for expanding its traffic management office to enable it to adapt to the activity and movement of the Ilonggos.
“This growth is already a significant responsibility for just one office. It would be better if we create a TTMO whose primary function will be traffic management,” said Sarabia.
In enacting the ordinance, the council noted the city’s fast expansion and development quickly outgrown the logistical and managerial capabilities of a single office such as the PSTMO in handling the evolving and scaling problem of traffic management.
The council said the creation of TTMO is necessary considering the merger of two separate mandates of Public Safety and Transportation Management in one office has now become infeasible.
The city government also recognizes the importance of logistics in the economy to effectively facilitate prompt, safe, and reliable movement of people, goods, and resources to stimulate economic activity and growth.
The council noted the poor handling of the above issues creates dire adverse effects on the economy which not only results in financial losses but also directly hinders growth.
Hence, the city government is taking proactive measures to ensure the effective and efficient management of traffic and transportation concerns within the city.
Under the newly enacted ordinance, the TTMO will be responsible for all traffic and transportation laws, regulations, and ordinances.
It will also ensure the prompt, safe, and reliable movement of people, goods, and resources within the city through the effective and efficient management of traffic flow and transportation facilities.
It will formulate and implement policies, plans, projects, programs, and mandates.
It also seeks to establish short-term and long-term strategic road maps to provide direction and a basis for proactive measures to ensure the healthy traffic capacity, security, safety, and reliability of the transport system.
The new traffic office is also mandated to gather, store, and maintain all traffic and transportation-related data for the immediate consumption and analysis of the city government.
Retired Police Colonel Uldarico Garbanzos will serve as officer-in-charge.
On the other hand, Jeck Conlu, the former PSTMO chief, will remain the head of the public safety aspect of the office.
The TTMO will soon have its department head, a legal and investigation section, and 11 administrative staffers./PN
