Council wants hearing for 'stiff' traffic code

While the city council committee on laws, ordinance, public accountability and good government is supporting amending the traffic code to allow Citom enforcers to confiscate driver's licenses without issuing a temporary operator's permit, it suggested that a public hearing should be conducted first.

"The committee feels that this proposal will make errant drivers more respectful and obedient to traffic laws," said councilor Edgardo Labella, chairman of the committee, in his two-page report to the council.

But Labella pointed out that the public hearing is deemed important considering that there is amendatory City Ordinance No. 801, or the "Ordinance Establishing a Traffic Code for the City of Cebu," which was introduced by councilor Sylvan Jakosalem.

Labella also said that what is very essential in the passage of the proposed ordinance is the provision of the local government code on intergovernmental relations considering that traffic control and vehicle operations are mainly under jurisdictions of the Philippine National Police and the Land Transportation Office, any delegation of power and authority including confiscation of driver's license must be governed by guidelines issued by the agency.

Jakosalem, chairman of the council committee on energy, transportation, communication, and other utilities, said the decision was reached after it was observed that drivers nowadays take lightly their violations of local traffic laws because they will just be issued citation tickets.

He said that TOPs are only issued for violations of national traffic laws. What he intended to do is that traffic enforcers could confiscate licenses for violations of City Ordinance 801.

Transport groups and even the LTO-7 is opposing plans of the city to empower City Traffic Operations Management enforcers to confiscate the licenses of violators of the City's traffic code because the violators could always get another ID from LTO if their original IDs are confiscated by Citom enforcers.

The drivers might be burdened by having to pay a substantial amount, aside from losing their license for violating an ordinance. - Garry B. Lao