10 Mandaue traffic enforcers to be deputized by LTO in March

The TEAM personnel, who passed the LTO examination, together with TEAM head Hyll Retuya (standing in the middle).| Photo from the FB page of Hyll Retuya

MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – Ten of the personnel of the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (TEAM) will officially be deputized by the Land Transportation Office (LTO-7) in March, granting them the authority to issue Temporary Operator’s Permits (TOPs) to traffic violators.

This follows their successful completion of the LTO’s Deputation Training Workshop, including the written examination.

Out of the 31 traffic enforcers who took the exam, only 10 passed.  The passers consist of four regular employees and six Job Order personnel.

READ: TEAM: 3 accident-prone intersections need traffic lights

TEAM Head Hyll Retuya expressed his satisfaction with the outcome of the examination, noting that this is a significant step for the improvement of Mandaue’s traffic enforcement.

Discipline

“Ang TOP, it’s a tool nga madisiplina gyud nato ang mga motorista ug katung adunay plano nga mo-violate sa lagda sa trapiko dinhi sa Mandaue,” said Retuya.

READ: TEAM pushes for deputization of 32 traffic enforcers

(The TOP is a tool to impose discipline among the motorists and to discourage them from committing traffic violations while in Mandaue City.)

“[This is significant] kay bisan tuod nga ginaingun, ginahimo nila ang Mandaue LGU [a] model when it comes to traffic management. Pero makita gyod gihapon nato nga duna gyud gihapon [nga naay] violators. In fact, some of which were habitual offenders,” said Retuya.

READ: 21 fake driver’s licenses seized in Mandaue City

(This is significant because they are making Mandaue LGU a model when it comes to traffic management. But we can still that there are still traffic violators.  In fact, some of them were habitual offenders.)

Most of those who passed the LTO examination were team leaders and supervisors.

Deputized Enforcers

Starting March and after they undergo the required medical examination, the deputized enforcers will already be able to issue TOPs to motorists who violate traffic rules.

However, Retuya said that  for now, the deputized enforcers will remain in their respective jurisdictions.  They will continue roving their assigned areas and oversee their subordinates.

Moreover, Retuya clarified that the deputized enforcers will not be authorized to issue both the citation ticket and TOP for the same violation.

Traffic penalties in Mandaue range from P500 to P5,000, depending on the severity of the offense, while LTO penalties range from P1,000 to P10,000.

If a traffic enforcer issues a TOP, the driver’s license will be immediately turned over to the LTO, and penalties collected will be forwarded to the agency.