TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Confronted with the mounting incidence of deadly vehicular traffic accidents (VTAs) on city roads, the City Peace and Order Council (CPOC) during its meeting on February 9 took several actions intended to stop the menace.
The council directed the police and the Public Order and Safety Office (POSO) of the LGU to conduct checkpoints for the enforcement of traffic rules from 10 PM to 12 midnight and again at 2-5 AM along the provincial road.
This was prompted by the observation from the police that majority of the VTAs happen in the middle of the night as people who engage in drinking sprees go home.
City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Christian Luyaben confirmed before the council the observation of the local police saying that accident responders from his office attest that majority of the drivers involved in VTAs reek of liquor.
Mayor Ferdinand Tubban who chaired the CPOC meeting also asked the police to give the specifications for a breathe analyzer and where the equipment could be purchased as the LGU has an allocation for the procurement of a unit.
The setting up of checkpoints in the small hours of the morning is based on the observation that during that time, some motorists specially those transporting goods to the markets in the city drive at breakneck speeds because of the clear roads.
In his report, Tabuk Police Officer-in-Charge Manolito Miana informed that for the 2017 as of the date of the meeting, there were already 35 VTAs with two fatalities.
In 2016, 296 VTAs occurred resulting to the loss of 13 lives.
The council also decided that the education of public utility drivers will be stepped up with the conduct of quarterly trainings on traffic safety. In previous years, the POSO has been conducting seminars on traffic safety twice a year.
Regarding the old problem of minors driving vehicles, the council directed POSO Dionisio Falgui III to study the provisions of PD 603 regarding the liability of parents for the acts of their minor children and likewise to go to the radio to discuss the problem.
Still on transportation, the council likewise passed a resolution requesting the Kalinga LGU to cause the installation of traffic signages and the painting traffic signs on the road from Bulanao to the Poblacion to constantly remind motorists of traffic rules and safety.**By Estanislao Albano, Jr.
