THE Mandaue City government will hold a seminar for the members of Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (TEAM) next month.
Lawyer Elaine Bathan, chief of staff of Mayor Luigi Quisumbing, said the seminar will focus on traffic laws and the proper handling of traffic violators.
Bathan said this is also to protect traffic enforcers from engaging in a traffic altercation and avoid an incident similar to what happened in Lapu-Lapu City where city traffic chief Frank Brazil was shot last Saturday evening.
Brazil was shot by a motorcycle-riding assailant just as he was about to board his vehicle in front of their office in Barangay Poblacion.
Senior Supt. Rommel Bernardo Cabagnot said the suspect could be a tricycle driver affected by Brazil’s campaign against illegal parking.
“Oftentimes man gud road rage would lead to pagpusil ug pagpatay (road rage would lead to shooting and killing). That is why it is important to educate our TEAM and empower them also on how to deal with this and to protect themselves,” Bathan said.
The city already informed TEAM operations chief Glenn Antigua and other members to exercise caution in dealing with the drivers.
Despite the incident in Lapu-Lapu, Bathan said she still does not see the need to equip the traffic enforcers with firearms.
“Right now I still believe that our TEAM is capable of handling our traffic violators,” Bathan said.
Bathan assured that appropriate legal actions would be filed against arrogant traffic violators.
Currently, the city has 142 traffic enforcers, who are all job order employees. Bathan said these traffic enforcers do not have insurance, which the city will study and deliberate on.