City to buy vests, gloves for traffic enforcers

TRAFFIC aides in Cebu City were reminded to wear reflectorized vests to stay visible at night and avoid accidents.

Very few are seen wearing the vests, said Acting Mayor Edgardo Labella, who ordered the purchase of 500 brand new vests and gloves.

“The vests and gloves should be worn with their prescribed uniforms. This should have been implemented a long time ago,” said Labella.

The rule applies to street cleaners and engineering personnel.

Cebu City Traffic Operations Management head Rafael Yap received a memorandum from Labella, dated July 22, to impose the requirement.

This will be an “added safety precaution” and “to prevent the recurrence” of the July 15 accident where a female traffic aide died after she was hit by a van. Labella stated in his memo. The van was driven by a Korean woman on her way out of the Gaisano Country Mall heading to Talamban during the 4 p.m. rush hour traffic.

Labella directed Government Services Office (GSO) head Dionisio Gualiza to acquire 500 brand new vests and gloves.

A total of 200 sets each will be given to Citom and the Department of Public Services while the remaining 100 would be given to the city engineering department.

Personnel who continue to report for duty without their prescribed vests and gloves should be disciplined, said Labella.

Labella said he believes the death of traffic enforcer Ma. Teresa Bascones could have been avoided had she worn her reflectorized vest while manning traffic on a left turn slot on Gov. Cuenco Avenue.

Labella said he would also take up with Mayor Michael Rama upon his return from his US vacation a recommendation to grant hazard pay to the city’s 180 traffic aides. He cited Section 458 of the Local Government Code or the general welfare clause.

“It is only reasonable that they should be given hazard pay. If health personnel are given hazard pay, how much more our traffic personnel?”

Labella said he also wants the Citom personnel enrolled for accident insurance to make sure that they will be compensated if they are injured while on duty.

“But we have to comply with the requirement of the procurement law, like the need for bidding,” he said.

Councilor Dave Tumulak, head of the city’s command center, said he would include traffic aides in the application for insurance coverage for the city’s 600 disaster and emergency personnel.

He said that a P1-million allocation from the city’s disaster budget was set aside this year for group insurance of members of the barangay fire auxilliary brigade, disaster responders, emergency responders and even members of ERUF and Fil-Chinese brigade.

Tumulak is canvassing for group insurance providers before the city formally accepts bids.

One insurance provider offered its services for a yearly premium of P1,400 per insured personnel. Benefits would include accidental death and dismemberment coverage, unprovoked murder and assault, accidental medical reimbursement and accidental burial expenses.

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