By John Rey Saavedra/PNA
CEBU CITY – Traffic managers from different towns and cities in Metro Cebu on Monday met in a summit to discuss traffic management and coordination during the holiday break.
Provincial traffic manager Jonathan Tumulak told the Philippine News Agency in an interview that the traffic managers from 12 of 13 towns and cities in Metro Cebu agreed not to conduct their Christmas parties during the holiday rush on December 20 to 25.
“They agreed to suspend their Christmas party on those dates. They will be managing the traffic in their respective areas of responsibility even if it meant to leave their families during the Yuletide,” Tumulak said. “Traffic enforcers of Lapu-Lapu and Danao have set their Christmas party on December 23, but they promised to deploy traffic marshals on that day.”
Tumulak also said that during the summit, traffic managers asked the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Central Visayas to suspend public works from December 20 to 25.
He said DPWH-7 Assistant Regional Director Mario Montejo agreed to temporarily stop road works in some areas of the metro.
In a separate interview, Montejo told the PNA that they will only stop construction works in roads where flow of traffic can be disrupted by the ongoing works.
“I have submitted to the District Engineers their (traffic managers) recommendation for temporary stoppage of road works. We will evaluate if we will stop or just continue but provide enough detour for the motorists,” Montejo said.
The DPWH-7 assistant regional director said if public works will not disrupt the flow of the vehicles, no work stoppage will be implemented.
The traffic czar also told the PNA that Cebu City Traffic Office (CCTO) manager Francisco Ouano asked him to momentarily stop road works in Cebu City during Christmas. CCTO’s Ouano stated during the meeting that the city has an existing ordinance prohibiting road works starting this Christmas holiday up to Sinulog in January next year, he said.
Montejo, however, reported of manageable traffic situation in Barangay Mambaling of this city, where there is a depressed structure, after the DPWH-7 opened two adjacent detours for vehicle traffic.
He also mentioned the Mananga Bridge 2 in Barangay Tabunok, Talisay City where the north-bound bridge is temporarily closed for major repair, while the south-bound is open for a two-way traffic.
The towns of Compostela and San Fernando also requested to suspend the road concreting project of the DPWH-7 to avoid traffic blockade during the holidays, Tumulak said. But their recommendation will depend on DPWH-7’s actions.
Tumulak said that traffic managers are also planning to talk with the management of big establishments such as malls, department stores, and supermarkets that are planning to make Christmas sales.
“Our purpose of talking to them is to require them to submit traffic plans in case they plan to go on Christmas sale,” Tumulak said.
Traffic managers in Metro Cebu also agreed to synchronize traffic management in two or three contiguous towns and cities. “We need to coordinate with each other. We don’t want a scenario wherein one city or town will be able to manage well their traffic flow but will clog the next neighboring city or town. Dapat coordinated tanan (all must be in coordination with each other on) this Christmas,” he said.
