‘Dangerous’ enforcers’ uniforms cited: Holganza criticizes CCTO

CEBU, Philippines — Former Cebu City Traffic Management Committee (TMC) chairman Rico Rey Francis “Koko” Holganza yesterday expressed “deep concern” for traffic enforcers’ safety, following the sudden change of color and design of their uniforms that to him poses danger to both them and the commuters.

Silent for most of the time since his resignation in the middle of 2023 during the time of then mayor Michael Ram,a who appointed him as head of the board, he broke his silence to state his frustration over the current state of the Cebu City Transportation Office.

“This is actually one of my biggest frustrations after I left the Traffic Board in 2023,” he said.

Holganza said that when hjoined the city’s traffic board in 2022, one of the things that he first did was immediately doing away “with the then dark camouflage style CCTO uniforms and instead provide our enforcers with High Visibility uniforms for their safety.”

He said that he event spent from his own funds to get samples of high visibility uniforms, including neon long sleeves, vests, caps, gloves, and raincoats imported from the USA, as well some personal field personnel blinkers.

The CCTO then ordered  first high visibility uniforms for its enforcers in early 2023.

“ I have mentioned it a million times to our CCTO leadership the importance of maintaining such a type of uniform,” Hoganza said.

He said that afterhe left the TMC in mid-2023, CCTO already started purchasing again “cheap non safety oriented uniforms.”

“I have long relayed my sentiments against this sudden shift to the current CCTO heads,” Holganza said.

He said that among the things he discussed with them was the “poorly designed green and red colored long sleeves,” and another uniform that “transformed enforcers into walking billboards”, which he said set aside the importance of high visibility and safety for field personnel.

Another source of The Freeman also shared that traffic enforcers have a new uniform which allegedly included the name of a motorcycle brand even if it is not a sponsor of CCTO.

It got even worse, Holganza said, with the “ALL BLACK uniform with just a small patch of cheap reflectors on the vest” that he said “is definitely NOT the way to show your concern for the safety of your personnel”.

“Simply because they look cute in black?” he said.

“CCTO leadership has practically thrown away into the trash bin everything about high visibility and safety of their field personnel.... Why CCTO opted to go back to this dark/black uniform beats me,” lamented  Holganza.

Holganza stressed that field personnel should be provided with high visibility uniforms and gears and should never be be used as political billboards by making them wear the political colors of the incumbent officials

He likewise said that he witnessed several running events in the city’s major roads early morning with no proper signages warning motorists about these fun runs along major streets.

This, he said, is “putting lives and limbs in danger - not only of the runners but the traffic enforcers in black who stand in the dark in the middle of the intersections.”

“At 5 a.m. in the dark, a traffic enforcer in black might find it extremely difficult to control a fast moving vehicle whose driver is not even aware of the ongoing fun run along a major intersection Do people really think that with his simple hand gesture to stop that a traffic enforcer in all black uniform with a small reflectorized patch standing in the middle of a dark intersection while the green traffic light is on can actually stop a fast moving vehicle trying cross the intersection? God forbid,” said  Holganza.

“Personally, I believe that anybody who has a say in this office should stop ‘playing politics’ when we are dealing with the safety of our field personnel,” he said.

The Freeman tried to reach out to CCTO Head Raquel Arce but to no avail. Assistant Head Kent Jongoy, on the other hand, begged off to comment on the isues Holganza raised, saying it would be best for Arce to answer them.

 In one of City Hall’s flag raising ceremonies, Mayor Raymond Garcia also took noticed of the change of uniforms of the CCTO officials and personnel to a red and white combination polo shirt.

For many followers of local politics, such color combination may be associated with Garcia’s political colors, but he said that it is one of the City’s way of expressing support to President Ferdinand Marcos’ Jr.’s “Bagong Pilipinas” branding.

Last month, City Councilor Pastor “Jun” Alcover suggested standardizing the uniforms of the traffic personnel regardless of whose administration it is.

The councilor said he noticed that CCTO personnel wear a variety of uniforms, like red, green, gray, and with others wearing vests.

City Councilor James Cuenco, City Council committee on transportation chairman, on the other hand, told The Freeman yesterday said that the changing of uniform should have been done a long time already, but its budget hit a snag allegedly when someone at the Bids and Awards Committee(BAC) objected saying, because the allocation was charged to the wrong account.

“So ang nahitabo, natanggong na. Kay kani man gud pung mga enforcers before, nga naa naman ta toy uniforms, na lay-off man..nya dunay mga bag-ong nasud, wa nay budget para ani…So we made sure nga ma included na sa 2025,” he said.

Cuenco said the traffic enforcers will have the full uniform compliments by next year.

 “Kinsay nag buot-buot ana diha ron.... Supposedly, it should be standard it should be a standard uniform…As far as CCTO is concerned, there should be a standard, it should follow international standards for traffic enforcers here,” the councilor said.

“It’s just a temporary setback for now, kay daghang mga movements,” he added.

He disclosed, though, that they are looking at deputizing the barangay tanods as reinforcements, adding ath the CCTO still lacks the manpower and the city’s traffic lights are not all fully functional yet. (CEBU NEWS)