Council OKs hiring of 70 Ban-Tal aides

The Cebu City Council has approved the hiring of 70 more traffic enforcers who will mainly be deployed in the congested Banilad-Talamban corridor.

During floor deliberations on the resolution introduced by Councilor Gerardo Carillo, councilors allied with the opposition Bando Osmena-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) bloc wanted to see the list of names of job order (JO) personnel who will be hired under the Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (Citom).

Councilor Margot Osmeña, the acknowledged leader of the BO-PK bloc, also wanted the service contract of the 70 JO employees to be valid until Dec. 31 to make it consistent with the city’s employment policy.

She questioned why each traffic enforcer would be paid P400 per day.

“That is more than what the casuals are receiving,” said Osmeña.

Carillo, chairman of the City Council’s traffic management committee, said the pay rate was higher since the “work of an enforcer is dangerous.”

“They are subject to dangerous occupational hazards,” he added.

On the service contract term, Carillo explained that the enforcers are needed for a period of six months which is also the duration of Citom’s No- left-turn scheme along the Ban-Tal corridor.

These traffic enforcers will oversee the implementation of rules on towing and illegal parking in the Ban-Tal area.

They will all undergo training before they are fielded for enforcement duties.

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