Awareness, Behavior Fuel Iloilo City Traffic Violations

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The spike in traffic violations in Iloilo City is largely due to motorists’ lack of awareness of traffic ordinances, according to the Traffic and Transportation Management Office.

TTMO head Uldarico Garbanzos said many violators are unaware of the rules because they are not engaged with platforms where traffic regulations are shared.

“Some of them probably do not check social media or listen to mainstream media, and now they’re claiming they’re not aware of the ordinances,” Garbanzos said in a media interview Monday, June 30.

He added that motorists’ behavior has also contributed to the increase in apprehensions, noting that the TTMO only recently intensified its operations after a period of lax enforcement.

“It’s also behavior because they got used to not being apprehended,” he said.

As of June 29, the TTMO has impounded 160 vehicles, including 61 e-trikes, 35 motorcycles, 25 tricycles, six cargo carriers, three pedicabs or trisikads, and one Racal-type vehicle.

Of the total, 93 vehicles have already been claimed by their owners after settling the required fines.

To address the issue, Garbanzos said the TTMO will work closely with barangay officials to boost public awareness.

So far, they have reached out to four barangays through local assemblies.

Garbanzos also admitted that the limited number of traffic enforcers hampers the full implementation of city traffic rules.

He said they are hiring more than 80 additional personnel to strengthen the transportation unit, especially in preparation for the full opening of Sunset Boulevard and the city’s two major public markets.

These new hires will also support TTMO’s proposed amendments to the Local Public Transport Route Plan.

Currently, the TTMO has 439 traffic enforcers, with 372 deployed for field operations.

The TTMO also plans to deploy more “green guards” to public plazas in line with recent beautification efforts in those areas.