Traffic Enforcer Agency of Mandaue City (TEAM) traffic enforcer Joseph Angtud is one of the awardee in the coming Mandaue City Charter Day after he goes viral on Facebook for helping a motorcycle rider.
Fifty-year-old Joseph Angtud felt his stomach rumbling as he began to walk to an area — away from the crowd — in the busy streets of Barangay Centro, Mandaue City.
It was almost 7 p.m. and he had yet to eat the food prepared by his wife for dinner at a street corner.
Not long after, a stranger approached him asking for his help.
A Facebook post of Jasper Sungahid about his encounter with Joseph Angtud when the latter fixed his damaged motorcycle.
The man, Jasper Sungahid, spotted Angtud from a crowd of pedestrians and motorists as Angtud’s dark blue and black uniform proudly declared that he was a member of TEAM, the acronym for Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue.
Sungahid, 20, needed help with his motorcycle that broke down in the middle of A. del Rosario Street as he was on his way home with his girlfriend.
“Naguba iyang motor. Padung na unta ko mokaon pero nalooy ko kay ganina ra pud to sila nag sige og tan-aw sa ilang motor (His motorcycle conked out. I was about to eat but I pitied them because they had been trying to fix it for some time),” said Angtud.
In no time, Angtud managed to fix Sungahid’s motorcycle after borrowing some tools from passing motorists.
Angtud’s act was considered by Sungahid as a lifesaver as the young man felt hopeless at the time.
“Naa koy barkada ni agi nagpatabang ko pero wala na nibalik. Si Sir Angtud gitabangan ko niya ug nangita gyud siya og tools.
(I asked help from a close friend who happened to pass by but he did not come back. Meanwhile, Sir Angtud really helped me and even looked for tools),” said Sungahid.
Very grateful to Angtud, Sungahid posted a picture of Angtud on Facebook.
The post has since gone viral with at least 16 thousand “likes” and three thousand “shares” as of August 20, Monday.
Angtud who does not have any social media account was unaware that he had become an overnight sensation on FB.
“Wala man ko magtoo nga maingon ato to ma’am. Ang ako lang nalooy ko nitabang ko (I did not think that it will be that way since all I wanted was to help),” he told Cebu Daily News.
But Angtud’s good deed did not end there.
Wala man ko magtoo nga maingon ato to ma’am. Ang ako lang nalooy ko nitabang ko. — Joseph Angtud
Just days after helping Sungahid, another photo of the traffic enforcer again went viral for coming to the rescue of a teenager who fainted in the street.
After learning that the post again went viral, Angtud said he wished that his little acts of kindness would serve an inspiration to change the public’s perception that TEAM
enforcers were corrupt and arrogant.
“Gusto nako mausab ang pagtan-aw sa mga tawo ilabi na mga driver namong mga traffic enforcer (I want the people’s perception to change especially the drivers),“ said
Angtud noting that there were times when people did not want to talk to them even when they were in need of help because of perceptions that Mandaue City’s traffic enforcers were bad.
“Dili man mi manakop nga way hinungdan. Kami mura sad mi og police nga mo serve and protect the public (We don’t apprehend people for no reason. We are also like policemen who serve and protect the public),” said Angtud.
The Mandaue City Local government has recognized the good deeds of Angtud.
Last week, the Mandaue City Council passed a resolution commending him for his acts.
Angtud will be among the city’s awardees during its Charter Day celebration on August 30.
Angtud said that he did not expect to receive such recognition from the public much more from the local government.
“Nitrabaho ra man gyud ko ma’am. Walay koy gipangayong lain (I just did my job. I am not asking for more),” he said.
Angtud could barely express his happiness for the surprise recognition that he received especially from the public who he believed was starting to change their views towards the members of TEAM.
“Ang ako lang ron maayo unta’g proud akong mga anak nako ug pamilya. Bisan ingon ani ta, nanrabaho ta og tarong (I just want my children and my family to be proud of me; because even if I am just a traffic enforcer I do my job well),” he said.