FOLLOWING his reappointment as Cebu City’s Traffic Management Coordination (TMC) Board chairman, Rico Rey Francis “Koko” Holganza’s first step was to review the procedures and policies of the city’s current traffic ordinances.
Holganza was appointed by Mayor Nestor Archival, following his previous stint in the position in 2022 during the administration of former mayor Michael Rama.
He reportedly quit a year later and was replaced by then-City Councilor Rey Gealon, who had served as executive director of the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) under the late mayor Edgardo Labella.
Prior to his “traffic czar” stint, Holganza was a Cebu City councilor before being appointed as a district collector for the Port of Cebu in 2016.
Holganza is also recognized for his advocacy for traffic discipline and his suggestions for improving traffic flow in the city.
In his first meeting with the TMC Board on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025, the board also discussed establishing a review committee to study the city’s current ordinances and their Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR).
The TMC Board instructed the CCTO to submit a report in the next meeting on Aug. 20. The report must detail the traffic situation; short- and long-term plans; the current structure of the CCTO; the functions of each office; and a list of damaged traffic signs.
Holganza said a technical working group (TWG) will be created under the supervision of Vice Chairman Jose Glenn Capanas. The TWG will study the provisions of the ordinances and IRR that need to be changed. The goal is to make the rules more suitable for the city’s current situation.
Another discussion was the possibility of shortening the notice period for temporary road closures, especially for barangay-level events.
“If it’s just a temporary closure, maybe a few days’ notice is enough. Two months is not needed. That is one of the tasks of the technical working group, to study and report on it by Aug. 20,” Holganza said.
The meeting was attended by TMC Vice Chairman Capanas, along with representatives from the CCTO, various City Hall departments, government agencies, the private sector and city councilors.
Among those who attended were Councilor Paul Labra II, chairman of the committee on peace and order; Councilor Winston Pepito; and Councilor Franklyn Ong.
Upon assuming the mayor’s post, Archival made traffic management one of his priority agenda items, and he called for stricter enforcement of no-counterflow and loading zone policies to improve the city’s traffic congestion.
Archival also aimed to improve traffic flow in the city’s southern corridor, inspired by the improved traffic situation on the Banilad-Talamban (Bantal) road after his “traffic discipline zone” order to the CCTO.
In coordination with the Cebu Provincial Government, V. Padriga St., leading to Gov. M. Cuenco Ave., has been reopened after a closure of about five years. This has reportedly led to less congestion in the Bantal corridor. / EHP