Iloilo City moves to professionalize traffic enforcers

Iloilo City has partnered with different government agencies in order to professionalize traffic enforcers in the metro and eventually improve the city’s traffic management.

Iloilo City government led by Mayor Jerry Treñas signed a memorandum of agreement together with the Department of Public Works and Highways ((DPWH), Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), Philippine National Police (PNP), Highway Patrol Group (HPG), Land Transportation Office (LTO), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Department of Health, and University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) on Wednesday, July 20, 2022 to formalize the establishment of the Traffic Academy in the city.

According to the mayor, the city is the first local government unit (LGU) to establish a traffic academy which will professionalize traffic enforcers in the metro.

“Today is a historic day as we are the first LGU to establish a traffic academy in the metro. A memorandum of agreement between DPWH, LTFRB, NEDA, UP, PNP, LTO, and DOH was signed as we professionalize our traffic aids. Being a regional center, we also must level up our traffic compliance,” he said in a statement.

Jeck Conlu, head of the PSTMO, said that the Traffic Academy will offer short courses and train traffic enforcers in the metro to capacitate them in managing traffic in the city. It will also include a course on basic traffic signaling system to improve the skills of traffic personnel on managing road safety.

“Subong nga adlaw, masugod ang paghatag naton sang short courses sa aton mga traffic enforces agod malevel up naton ang skills nila sa pagmanage sang dalan to equip them with enough knowledge and skill nila para mas maimprove naton ang traffic management sa syudad,” he said.

The traffic academy will be a two-week classroom setting which shall include one week of practical learning application and another week of performance assessment.

Conlu said that the city hopes to implement programs which will capacitate traffic enforcers in order to better prepare and prevent heavy traffic being experienced by other highly urbanized cities (HUCs).

“Ang aton gusto indi kita magparehas sa iban nga HUC nga ang traffic naga-increase nga naga-increase. Ang traffic academy may planning division para tun-an ang tanan nga sitwasyon sang aton dalalnon sa syudad,” he added.

Aside from the implementation of traffic academy, the city also plans to institutionalize the non-contact apprehension of violators of traffic laws and ordinances through closed circuit television cameras (CCTVs) in the metro. (DG)