48 Citom men may be fired

CRACKING down on corruption in the streets, the Cebu City Government is set to fire 48 traffic enforcers accused of mulcting motorists.

City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) Executive Officer Arnel Tancinco said the complaints about 31 of the 48 enforcers have been validated.

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Following a meeting yesterday morning, he said Mayor Tomas Osmeña, who is also the Citom chairman, wants the enforcers fired to set an example to the rest of the force.

In a press conference, the mayor said he will not comment on something that is still being investigated upon, saying it is not his policy to “sensationalize” something that is still being looked into.

City Councilor Sylvan Jakosalem, on the other hand, said if it were just up to him, the enforcers should be removed from Citom.

“I would definitely want to have them fired. If the accusations against them are true and accurate, factual, then they should be fired. We can’t afford to have them out on the streets,” Jakosalem said.

The councilor sits as presiding officer and representative of the mayor in the weekly meeting of the Citom board, which is composed of officials and representatives of offices in the city that involve transportation matters.

Tancinco said the complaints came from several people, who include city officials and ordinary residents who witnessed what the enforcers did.

He said that though no formal complaints were filed, the feedback they got was usually about extortion.

Most offenses involve “kotong” or soliciting or accepting money from motorists in traffic violations.

He said the Citom is counter-checking the information provided by those who have complained,

“The strong recommendation of the individual members of the Citom board is to take drastic action…. The mayor also wanted their services terminated even pending the assessment of the HRDO (Human Resource Development Office),” Tancinco said.

The Citom board is expected to come up with a formal recommendation during its meeting tomorrow.

Tancinco said there is a need to check whether the City can legally terminate enforcer’s contracts, considering there is an election ban.

He said that if the City cannot fire them right now, the enforcers will just be assigned to a holding area and stripped of their authority.

“We will check the implication of the election ban. It will still take time to replace them and hire new ones. Our recourse is to remove all of them from the field and put them in a holding area,” he said.

He said the enforcers will still report to work from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., but they will no longer have the opportunity to apprehend violators of traffic laws.

“They will stay in the holding area until the matter will be settled and a decision will be made. I want a decision by the end of the week,” Tancinco said.