DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 24 Dec) – The City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO) here admitted it lacked personnel to man traffic in the city, resulting in heavy traffic congestion along certain areas as people do last minute shopping on Christmas Eve.
In an interview over the city government-owned Davao City Disaster Radio Tuesday morning, CTTMO head Dionisio Abude said they deployed most of their traffic enforcers to high-activity zones such as in Lanang, Bajada, and other certain areas, which leaves lesser personnel in areas with little traffic volume.
“This is only during the Christmas season, because by January, we will assess if we can return personnel deployment to normal. However, if congestion remains severe due to the increasing number of establishments, we will strive to add more personnel,” Abude said in the vernacular.
Davao City, especially in its urban areas, is experiencing moderate to heavy traffic congestion, particularly along McArthur Highway, Bajada-J.P. Laurel Ave., and Quimpo Boulevard, as shown in the CCTV camera footage of the Public Safety and Security Office.
These areas are close to main malls and department stores. On Dec. 20, homegrown mall operator LTS Malls Inc. opened the supermarket area in the new NCCC Mall Ma-a, which is located near McArthur Highway, almost seven years since fire razed the mall on Dec. 23, 2017. Main malls mostly located along J.P. Laurel Ave. also offer Christmas sales.
In the Basta Dabawenyo Christmas Special podcast posted Sunday evening in the CM Baste Duterte Facebook page, former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is the father of current city mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, said that the Christmas season’s traffic congestion here is due to “lack of manpower,” especially during the Christmas season.
“More human bodies, human beings, to man the traffic, only during rush hours. We will put more, but permanently,” Duterte said, stating what is needed to control traffic.
Duterte, who is running as mayor again in the 2025 elections, said that Dabawenyos must be patient, and to give the government a little time to think and to implement a solution – “not immediate, but as soon as possible.”
He said traffic lights alone are “inutil (useless)” and insufficient and that the city needs more permanent personnel to manage the streets, especially during rush hours.
“It is really a problem of manpower. Hindi mo maasahan yang red, tapos green, kasi kung magkabuhol-buhol na, wala nang magawa iyan. Hindi mo na maasahan iyan, dito ka sa baba magtingin (You cannot expect the red and the green lights, because once traffic gets congested, the traffic lights can do nothing. Focus on the ground instead),” Duterte said.
“Because we have to train [personnel], we have to go into the budget, if there is money, then train them for about a month or so, before we can let them go out to help maintain traffic control,” Duterte added.
As for the traffic lights, Abude said they would “flash” the traffic lights and/or they will let their traffic enforcers’ intuitions to ease traffic flow in the city, especially in busy intersections.
In traffic rules, flashing traffic lights can dictate certain traffic behavior to drivers. A flashing red light typically functions like a stop sign, requiring drivers to come to a complete stop and proceed only when it is safe. A flashing yellow light, on the other hand, signals caution, requiring drivers to slow down and proceed carefully through the intersection.
But not all drivers are aware of flashing traffic lights and would rather depend on the timing of the traffic lights, resulting in much longer traffic congestion, Abude said. (Ian Carl Espinosa / MindaNews)
