THE Bacolod City Council approved on third and final reading an ordinance creating a trust fund for the mother units of deputized traffic enforcers in support of traffic management operations which shall be taken from traffic fines and violation collections in the city, and establishing the scheme for the effective implementation and monitoring thereof.
The ordinance was authored by Councilor Dindo Ramos, chairperson of the City Council committee on transportation and traffic.
Ramos said the City of Bacolod continues to be confronted with its traffic woes and other related issues associated with rapid urbanization.
He said to support the city maintain its smooth traffic management, selected employees in barangays were deputized as traffic enforcers to augment the current number of traffic enforcers of the city thereby expanding the coverage of its traffic enforcement and management.
He added the city's traffic enforcement unit or the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO), Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) and barangays, through their deputized barangay tanods, are the primary executors to ensure compliance to traffic rules and discipline on the roads of the city.
Ramos noted the city's revenues coming from traffic fines and violation collections is currently shared between the city and BTAO only based on a scheme earlier specified in a city ordinance.
Ramos pointed out the city's traffic enforcement unit is currently performed by BTAO, BCPO and barangays through their deputized tanods and additional operating expenses for traffic enforcement are incurred by the above-named units, thus, in addition to BTAO, the city's revenue from collection of traffic fines and violations be likewise shared with BCPO and barangays depending on whichever unit performed the apprehension so that this will serve as incentive to traffic enforcers to be more aggressive in apprehending traffic violations.
Section 4 of the ordinance states that tracking of mother unit of traffic enforcers conducting the traffic enforcement is very important to correctly allocate its share in the total collection of fines. It shall be the responsibility of the BTAO to prepare the scheme for the distribution of traffic fines and penalties collected to the different mother units in order that the City Treasurer shall be guided on how to remit the same.
BTAO is mandated to submit the report to the City Council every month for the purposes of information.
Traffic enforcers should apprehend all traffic violators including one-way, no parking zones, clamping, towing, impounding among others. For barangays which have available and ample space for an impounding area, impounding of vehicles can be done at the barangay level.
Fees collected for such purpose will likewise be shared between the city and the mother unit, the ordinance further stated.