Lawmaker wants to professionalize traffic enforcement

MANILA, Philippines - An administration lawmaker has sought the immediate passage of a bill seeking to professionalize and institutionalize the traffic enforcement corps in the metropolis, is currently attached to the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

Valenzuela City Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian said he was prompted to file House Bill 5242, which seeks to establish the National Traffic Enforcement and Management Center (NTEMC), following the recent incident wherein an MMDA traffic constable had an altercation with the driver of the Maserati Ghibli along Quezon Avenue in Quezon City.

“Traffic enforcers play a vital role in maintaining public order and safety in our roads. A properly trained traffic enforcer coupled with the best practices in the enforcement of traffic laws will ensure a safer road for the public particularly to motorists and pedestrians,” he said.

Gatchalian, a member of the House committee for Metro Manila development, said the creation of the NTEMC will pave the way for the efficient traffic enforcement, which is an essential element of every road safety policy especially in the light of several complaints cropping up against a specific traffic constable.

Under the bill, the NTEMC “shall have the mandate to build capacity of our traffic enforcers by providing them formal trainings and instruction in all the areas of traffic enforcement and management including enforcement, road safety, accident investigation, driver training, post-accident management and understanding violations.”

The NTEMC shall also be responsible in educating the public about the proper observance of our traffic and road laws and in scientifically researching the causes and consequences of road collisions and accidents as well as preparing effective systems for their analysis in order to provide remedial measures.

The NTEMC shall be the primary training center for all traffic enforcement personnel in the country and a certification from the center shall be necessary for the deputization of traffic enforcement personnel of local government units, he said.

He said the altercation between traffic constable Jorbe Adriatico and Maserati Ghibli driver Joseph Russel Ingco could have been avoided if all MMDA traffic enforcers are well-trained not only in apprehending violators but also in the manner by which they approach and talk to the traffic violators.

“Knowledge of traffic rules and regulations is not enough. There is such a thing as people skills that every traffic enforcer should learn from a training school like the NTEMC, which we would like to establish the soonest,” Gatchalian said.

He declined to say who was wrong in the Maserati case but he pointed out that the numerous complaints being aired in the media against Adriatico should not be swept under the rug by the MMDA as these could be valid complaints by well-meaning motorists.

“What I’m saying is that if there is a NTEMC, all traffic constables can undergo training here so they can be professional in doing their jobs and in dealing with motorists,” Gatchalian said.

Another important function of the NTEMC is to undertake road safety audits on highways and road transportation projects and traffic management schemes and to identify road risks and hazards.

The proposed NTEMC will be governed by a board of trustees composed of the transportation secretary as chairperson; the MMDA chairman as co-chairperson; and the interior secretary, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority director general, and the National Center for Transportation Studies director as members.