THE Traffic Management Coordinating Committee (TMCC) will reorganize the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) in the coming days.
City Attorney Rey Gealon, chairman of the TMCC, said current CCTO division heads and their personnel should expect reassignments.
“Expect revamp of personnel in the different divisions of the CCTO to make them effective and efficient in the performance of their respective functions,” he said.
The TMCC was created by Mayor Edgardo Labella to help the CCTO management.
On Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019, Labella met with nearly 700 CCTO employees—traffic enforcers, parking aides, office clerks and other workers, including those who are on job-order status.
The mayor assured them that they could continue working at the CCTO if they avoid corruption; if they won’t heed him, they risk losing their jobs and may face charges.
Labella ate with the CCTO workers after the latter voiced their support for his anti-corruption drive at the City Hall.
The mayor will also meet the employees of other departments—public services, engineering and public works and general services.
Meanwhile, the City Council has called the attention of the CCTO, reminding the latter to strongly implement the anti-belching laws and ordinance, and apprehend the drivers violating such laws.
In a resolution sponsored by Councilor Nestor Archival, the City Council urged the CCTO to implement Republic Act (RA) 8749 (the Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999) and City Ordinance 2111 (the Anti-Smoke Belching Ordinance).
RA 8749 mandates that apprehended drivers of smoke-belching vehicles should be fined, with fees ranging from P1,000 to P5,000. The City Ordinance 2111 violators are fined P1,000 for the first offense; P3,000, second offense; and P5,000, third offense.
Despite the passage of these laws, Archival said he still noticed several vehicles that emit black smoke.
The City Council is also requesting the Land Transportation Office 7 to conduct roadside spot emission tests to “strengthen the implementation of the anti-smoke belching law” and “promote a cleaner environment.”
Smoke belching, as well as factory smoke emissions, is considered a major contributor to carbon emissions in the world, said Archival.
The Philippines ranked as the 48th largest contributor of carbon emissions in the world due to the smoke emitted by large-scale factories and vehicles.
The smoke, he said, also endangers the public’s health. Air pollution can cause illnesses such as pneumonia or bronchitis, irritations to the nose, throat, eye and skin, headaches and nausea. Long-term health effects include heart disease, lung cancer and other respiratory-related diseases.
Archival, quoting a study, said that nearly 2.5 million people die worldwide every year due to the effects of air pollution.
“Air pollution is a serious problem that every highly urbanized city encounters,” he said. (FROM PAC OF SUPERBALITA CEBU / KAL / JJL)