Plainclothes traffic enforcers in Mandaue City have already been deployed starting last Wednesday to catch traffic violators unaware.
These non-uniformed personnel of Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (TEAM) will wear civilian clothes and board public utility vehicles like any other passengers to see how pedestrians and drivers abide by traffic rules as well as issue citation tickets to violators.
“People have been telling me nga mosunod ra ang mga tawo sa (people only follow) traffic rules kung makakita sila og enforcers (if they see traffic enforcers around), kung wala (when there’s none) they don’t follow. (So) we decided we will put TEAM enforcers in plain clothes,” Mandaue City Mayor Gabriel Luis Quisumbing told reporters in a press conference yesterday.
Quisumbing said that the plainclothes traffic enforcers will whip out their IDs before issuing citation ticket once they catch a violator.
“(This is) to catch violators unaware. This is being done in other countries. So, you know, we want to do something similar. Otherwise don’t violate traffic rules,” Quisumbing added.
These personnel will not be assigned permanently in a certain area, but have to transfer from one place to another day by day.
At the moment, there are two plainclothes personnel actively roving around the city but Quisumbing said he is planning to increase the number to 25 in March as they strengthen the program.
Among TEAM’s focus areas are Barangay Centro, one of the city’s main points of convergence where City Hall, the St. Joseph Parish Church, St. Joseph Academy, a public market and a shopping mall are located.