THE Inter-Agency Council for Traffic I-ACT Metro Baguio was formally launched in Baguio to look for solutions pertaining to traffic and motor vehicle worthiness.
Assistant secretary for special concerns Manuel Gonzales and chief I-ACT Task Force explained I-ACT Metro Baguio will be in charge of coordinating, controlling, giving of direction through plans and programs in an integrated approach in addressing traffic problems.
“I-ACT, once established, will cover the Cordillera Administrative Region and some parts of Northern Luzon. I-ACT was created based on the directive of President Rodrigo Duterte in 2016 to address the problem on drugs and traffic specifically in Metro Manila and with that directive through Secretary Arthur Tugade. Part of that expansion is the Cordillera Administrative Region to be headed by Land Transportation Office (LTO) Cordillera Director Francis Rey Almora,” Gonzales said.
I-ACT Metro Baguio will focus on five “Es” of traffic management which are enforcement, education, environment, engineering and economics.
I-ACT Metro Baguio is composed of the Philippine National Police - Highway Patrol Group (PNP –HPG), Department of Transportation and Railways (DoTR), Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and LTO with Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the city mayor and members of the City Council which will enforce the various laws relative to the 5 E’s.
“We initially started with I-ACT CAR because of the different demands and complains regarding unscrupulously operation on the expansion of colorum vehicles and of course the number one point here is the road worthiness of public utility transport vehicles where lately, there was an incident here in the Cordillera that had many casualties which came to the ire of the President where he came out with a pronouncement that he does not want this to happen again,” the task force chief stated.
The integrated task force has intensified its operations particularly on the road worthiness of vehicles and the anti-colorum operations with the main purpose of making sure that commuters will have a safe, convenient and secure ride. The implication here is that when commuters ride colorum vehicles, no compensation are given to the passengers which is why we are thankful for the local government of Baguio and other provinces of the Cordillera for the positive response for the creation of this I-ACT Metro Baguio,” Gonzales added.
I-ACT’s mandate is to address not only traffic byt infrastructure, and provisions of efficient transport integrated system.