BEATING THE SUMMER HEAT
Cherry Taborada, 33, will not leave home without her bottled water since it’s the most necessary thing for her to bring at work.
Taborada, a member of the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (TEAM) learned her lesson when she once went to work without water and got very dizzy.
She was dehydrated.
“Dili malikayan g’yud nga ma dehydrated ka, labi na nga akong duty kay gikan alas sais sa buntag hangtod alas dos sa hapon (You can’t help but be dehydrated especially since I work from 6 a.m. until 2 p.m.),” said Taborada.
She explained that it was hard for her to leave her post because she worked at “peak hours” or when traffic was bad.
Even taking shelter in the shade from the hot sun for just a minute was difficult for her.
“Lisod mabiyaan kay busy kaayo kining 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Mao pa g’yud na ang pinaka-init (It is very difficult to take a break since 9 a.m. to 12 noon is the busiest time in the morning. It is also the hottest), “ she said.
For Herbert Nuñez, 60, his experience with the heat was even worse.
Sometime in 2016, Nunez was hospitalized after suffering from a heat stroke while manning the traffic.
“Tulo to nga nagsunod sunod to akong nadakpan nga mga nag violate nga jeep. Wala nako kabantay nga natumba nako kay giatake na og heat stroke (I successively apprehended three erring jeepney drivers when I suddenly collapsed. I had a heat stroke),” he said.
Nuñez was then advised by his doctor to take a rest for one month.
A traffic enforcer for 20 years, he could attest that work in the field was not easy.
Traffic enforcers like him are prone to heat stroke and even hypertension.
Having water all the time keeps them hydrated.
“Maayo unta nga aduna mi permeng tubig aron makalikay mi aning matang sa mga sakit-sakit (I wish we had water all the time so we can avoid all these illnesses),” Nuñez said.
The pleas of Mandaue City’s traffic enforcers may soon be granted as City Hall plans to buy hydration or water backpacks for them.
Soon Mandaue City’s traffic enforcers will be provided with water backpacks, the better for them to buck the summer heat as they man the city’s streets. /CDN FILE PHOTO
Hydration packs contain a reservoir for liquids and a hose that allows the wearer to drink hands-free.
Glenn Antigua, TEAM chief for operations said that at least 250 water backpacks will be purchased to keep their traffic enforcers hydrated this summer.
“Actually we planned to have these (water backpacks) last year. But there was a small problem in purchasing. Now we will have this within the month,” Antigua said.
Antigua said that TEAM enforcers render at least eight hours of work on the field and about half of them are already in their 30s and 50s.
“So it is very important that our traffic enforcers should be hydrated always especially that they are in the field working the traffic while fighting the scorching heat,” Antigua said.
At present, TEAM has around 120 personnel doing field work.
Antigua said that a bottle of mineral water is given to each traffic enforcer courtesy of the Mandaue City Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS); but this isn’t enough.
“Dili g’yud enough ang usa ra ka bottled water. Mao na nga sila mangita g’yud paagi nga maka refill sa ilang container (One bottled water is not enough. That is why our enforcers find ways to refill their containers),” Antigua said.
The soon to be provided water backpacks will cost P1,800 each and will be supplied by Leizkent Enterprises.
It can hold at least 3 liters of water.
“So dili na sila magsigeg refill and dili na mabiyaan nila ang post (So they won’t have to keep refilling water and they will no longer abandon their post),” he said.