Rama backs traffic board, wants private sector head
Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama supported a proposal by Rep. Luigi Quisumbing of Cebu’s 6th district to create a traffic board for Metro Cebu.
But Rama said it’s better if the board chairman is from the private sector rather than elected public officials since they “come and go.”
He also said it’s important that there’s a consensus on who should chair the board and who will comprise its secretariat.
“In principle, yes (I’m amenable) because it’s a needed thing. Traffic is a matter that should be seriously considered. But I am concerned particularly as to who will be chairman,” Rama said.
He said the Metro Cebu Development and Coordinating Board (MCDCB) should choose who should chair the proposed Metro Cebu Traffic Management Authority (MCTMA).
Under Quisumbing’s House Bill 5556, the MCTMA will be focused on planning and identification of traffic problems.
The board should also coordinate with Metro Cebu’s local government units in creating programs and projects to be included in a traffic management master plan.
If passed, the board chairman will either be a public official or private sector representative while the vice chairpersons will be the governor of Cebu together with the Cebu City mayor.
Voting members include the local government units in Metro Cebu while non-voting members will be representatives from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the police.
“That authority should be given to others because that traffic management cuts across territories. We need synergy and integration,” Rama said.
Rep. Quisumbing said House Bill 5556 is already in the committee on transportation and government reorganization.
“We are hoping that by the time Congress resumes session after the President’s State of the Nation Address (SONA), it will be calendared for deliberation in the committee hopefully by August,” he said.
Updates on the MCTMA were discussed during a recent meeting with the MCDCB, Cebu congressmen and mayors.
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