The Cebu South Coastal Road has recently witnessed a number of road accidents. (Photo via Talisay PIO)
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Capitol is looking into the passage of an ordinance that will set speed limits on national roads in Cebu province to harmonize the traffic situation here.
Board Member Glenn Anthony Soco, who chairs the Provincial Board’s Committee on Planning and Development, said a draft of the template ordinance was already in his office and awaiting review.
The template ordinance was first raised by Land Transportation Office Central Visayas (LTO-7) Regional Director Victor Caindec during the first Traffic Management Board meeting last Thursday, November 21.
During the meeting, Caindec said passing the ordinance that would set the speed limit of the streets would be a concrete step to imposing authority on the roads across the province.
“It establishes very clearly the authority of the province to set the tone for policy development… Because of this basis, you can now craft subsequent ordinances to say that we are now defining traffic movement for traffic along this area,” Caindec said.
“In the very same authority that we will set speed limits, we are also setting directional policies here,” Caindec added.
Read more: Only 12 of PH towns, cities have complied with local speed limit
Currently, it is the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) that sets the speed limit based on the profiles of the roads.
Soco said they would study the template ordinance side-by-side with other national laws to ensure that they do not run over other national policies.
The proposed speed limit ordinance was drafted by the Imagine Law, public interest law organization, which recently partnered with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) for crafting policies that would improve road safety.
“The draft of that template ordinance is in my office and I will coordinate with the committee on public works as to how we can refine it and if we can pass it at the Provincial Board,” Soco said in an interview./dbs