Cebu City Traffic Operations Office (CCTO) chief Francisco Ouano, shown here helping to guide traffic, says body cameras will help monitor violators in the streets.
CEBU City’s traffic enforcers may be outfitted with body cameras to help monitor and record traffic violations of motorists and public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers.
“There’s a big chance we will get this for security reasons as well as see for ourselves the situation because most of those whom we apprehend get angry. There’s no person who won’t get angry if caught so at least we can record this,” said Francisco Ouano, Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) chief.
Ouano said this would help them to enforce Executive Order 34 or the ban on counterflow.
He said CCTO plans to buy 30 to 50 body cameras from Manila at P7,000 per unit.
After four days of enforcing the counterflow ban, Ouano said the number of violations went down by 50 percent.
“A lot of people are afraid of having their vehicles impounded for one month/30 days. That’s why we won’t stop enforcing this to discipline the motorists,” he said.
Ouano said about 170 motorcycles, 12 private vehicles, four passenger jeepneys and two taxis were impounded at the South Road Properties (SRP) storage area.
Ouano recalled a collision of four motorcycles that happened in Barangay Talamban last Wednesday. He said this was caused by counterflowing.
Ouano said they also plan to penalize drivers who don’t give way to the pedestrians at the junction box.
The CCTO chief told reporters that they are waiting to negotiate with the company Big Foot so they can transfer the impounded vehicles to their two-hectare covered court in the SRP.
“A lot of motorists complained that their vehicles would be soaked with rain, then exposed to the summer heat,” he said.
Ouano advised vehicle owners to get the batteries of their vehicles before it is brought to the storage area.