ILOILO City – To professionalize its traffic enforcers, the city government tapped the help of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
MMDA training personnel conducted a three-day traffic management seminar to 42 traffic aides of the Public Safety and Transportation Management Office (PSTMO) from Nov. 26 to 28.
The focus was Republic Act 4136 or the Land Transportation and Traffic Code.
Also discussed were Traffic Direction and Control techniques, assessing movement of traffic, traffic stops, and control zones, traffic violations, what to do during compromising or unusual situations, and ticket issuance.
The trainers also tackled international traffic signs, road markings, road safety audit as well as physical drills.
Four months ago in July, 15 technical personnel of the MMDA also came over to study the traffic situation of the city then made recommendations on how to best to manage it.
Mayor Jerry Treñas previously said he would be pushing through with the intelligent traffic system (ITS) that then mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog proposed in 2017. Such a system could help prevent fatal road accidents, he said.
An ITS involves the use of closed-circuit television cameras capable of determining the speed of vehicles (if they are over-speeding) and recording them. It would also entail the establishment of a command/monitoring center.
Mabilog thought of having an ITS for the city to address traffic congestion, stop illegal parking and curb reckless driving that mostly result to vehicular accidents.
He said an ITS would discourage drivers from disregarding traffic rules and regulations, and it would also help law enforcers identify and catch violators.
In January 2017 Mabilog formed a technical working group and the city government allotted P25 million for the system.
But in October 2017 Mabilog was dismissed from the service by the Office of the Ombudsman for unexplained wealth. Then vice mayor Jose Espinosa III who assumed Mabilog’s post put the project on hold./PN
