Traffic clearance measure pushed in Mandaue City

CEBU, Philippines — The Mandaue City Council approved on first reading a proposed ordinance requiring all drivers of public transport to secure a clearance from the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (TEAM) Office.

The proposal covers the drivers of public utility jeepneys, tricycles, transportation network vehicle service (TNVS), and all other forms of public transportation.

"A public utility driver who shall not have a TEAM clearance in his custody, after being flagged down over a particular traffic violation, shall become subject of another violation and shall therefore added a penalty in the citation ticket duly issued by the traffic personnel," reads a portion of the proposed ordinance.

Councilor Jimmy Lumapas, proponent of the measure, said that reports from the TEAM revealed that several PUJ drivers have incurred numerous traffic violations and failed to settle their obligations with the city government for a very long time. Lumapas said his proposed ordinance will address the uncollected fines from erring drivers.

"It has been noted that many of these traffic violators, who are drivers of PUJs are habitual offenders. And while they remain elusive with the settlement of their traffic violations, they become threat to public safety among their passengers and the riding public, in general," Lumapas’ proposed measure reads.

It added that the alarming number of erring drivers, as manifested by the TEAM report, has prompted the TEAM Board to provide means to strengthen road courtesy to avoid road accidents and lessen traffic violations.

"Towards this end, the City of Mandaue shall promote and emphasize the importance of responsive and service-oriented system of the TEAM Office, with the objective of fostering accountability to the riding public and transparency among the drivers," it added.

The TEAM Office shall issue the clearance at a fixed rate of P100 which shall be paid at the city treasurer’s office. A clearance shall only be issued to an applicant who does not have traffic violation recorded at the TEAM Office and have no unpaid penalty.

The clearance shall have a one year validity period from the date of the issuance. Traffic violators who do not have a clearance upon apprehension shall be issued another traffic citation with an additional P500 fine. (FREEMAN)