Mandaue dad proposes full-fledged traffic dep’t

AN ordinance has been proposed by Councilor Elstone Dabon to create the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (TEAM) Office as a fully functioning department of the city and not just an attached office under the mayor’s office.

“Due to the complexity of the transportation problems being experienced by the city at present, this will require that the competence of the professionals to solve these complex problems will come with higher qualifications, knowledge, skills and experience,” read the proposed ordinance.

During the Mandaue City Council’s regular session yesterday, the proposal passed first reading and was referred to the committee on laws for review.

The proposal also seeks to appropriate an initial budget of P10 million for the salaries of its personnel.

TEAM’s functions will continue to be similar to its current functions which include the enforcement of ordinances, regulating traffic and transportation in the city, execute traffic management schemes, decisions and policies, and ensure proper investment on traffic-related infrastructure, among others.

The TEAM department will also have five divisions: traffic engineering, transportation planning, traffic enforcement, facilities management and support services.

The city mayor will be the one to appoint the head of TEAM as well as the heads of the five different divisions, under the proposed ordinance.

Glenn Antigua, the current head of TEAM, said the conversion of their office into a full-fledged department has been one of the tasks that Mandaue City Mayor Luigi Quisumbing gave to them. He said they have been working for the establishment of the department which is expected to redound to the benefit of its employees.

“Once the ordinance is approved, we will be similar to Cebu City. Our personnel will become casual and regular as there will already be plantilla positions,” he told CDN.

Right now, TEAM has a total of 248 employees, all of whom are job order personnel. As job order personnel, these employees are not entitled to benefits that are given to other regular employees of the Mandaue City government.

“At least our employees will also be happy since they will get the same benefits as the others,” Antigua said.

The proposed ordinance also seeks to establish a TEAM trust fund wherein all receipts from franchising, supervising, regulatory fees, fines and surcharges generated by the city will be kept.