Honorarium for tanods eyed to man traffic in Mandaue

Outgoing Mayor Jonas Cortes led the turnover of five new Kawasaki motorcycles to the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (TEAM) to help solve Mandaue City’s lingering traffic problems. (CDN PHOTO/Julit Jainar)

COMMUTER complaints on Mandaue City’s burgeoning traffic woes may yet find relief following plans to formally augment the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (TEAM) with barangay tanods who will be tasked to man traffic on busy streets.

Outgoing Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes, now sixth district Congressman-elect, said that officials are now working on a planned P2,000 monthly financial assistance for all barangay tanods as the latter will serve as the “multiplying force” of traffic enforcers especially during peak hours.

“Mao na atong gipa-work out sa atong city legal and budget officer on how to give this assistance knowing that the Cebu City government was disallowed (We are having the city legal and budget officers work this out on how to give this assistance knowing that the Cebu City government was disallowed),”Cortes said.

Last February, the Commission on Audit (COA) disallowed the release of more than P21 million worth of cash incentives given by the Cebu City government to officials, secretaries and treasurers of the city’s 80 barangays as state auditors found the release “irregular” and contrary to rules.

Aside from tapping the services of village enforcers, Cortes planned to discuss with incoming Mayor Gabriel Luis “Luigi” Quisumbing and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) ways to decongest traffic in the city by minimizing the operations of multicabs plying major thoroughfares.

Cortes also said that malls in Mandaue City should begin to put up their own passenger terminals to avoid the loading and unloading of mall goers along busy roads which create traffic congestion.

Meanwhile, five new motorcycles equipped with sirens were turned over to TEAM yesterday in time for the opening of classes this week to ensure a quicker response to Mandaue’s lingering traffic concerns.

The new purchase which cost P907,500 brings the number of TEAM motorcycles to 24.

“This will help a lot sa mobility sa mga personnel kay dili man nato malukop ang whole stretch. Whenever there are traffic accidents, maka-respond dayon siya (This will help a lot in the mobility of our personnel because we cannot cover the whole stretch. Whenever there are traffic accidents, we can immediately respond),” TEAM director Florentino Nimor Jr. said.