School for traffic enforcers to open this October

Metro Cebu Traffic Enforcers Academy (MCTEA) has been created to help professionalize Cebu’s traffic enforcers.

The academy was created through a resolution approved by the Metro Cebu Development Coordinating Board (MCDCB) on Monday.

In 2016, MCDCB deferred the creation of the academy pending the review of its agreement.

The academy, which is being eyed in Talisay City, is set to become operational by October this year.

The academy’s standardized traffic curriculum is still being finalized.

Traffic enforcers, old and new hires, are required to undergo a five-day seminar at the academy.

“An applicant is required to undergo seminars before he/she can be hired as traffic enforcer,” said Jonathan Tumulak, Cebu’s focal person for traffic management.

The seminars and workshops are aimed at educating traffic enforcers from local government units (LGUs) in Metro Cebu on the comprehensive approach to traffic management, including how to control and direct traffic, how to respond to incidents, and how to enforce traffic laws.

Seminar fees will be shouldered by the LGU. Tumulak said Cebu’s traffic managers prefer to have the academy established in Talisay City, which is notorious for its traffic jams for years.

He said the city was chosen to host the training center because of the increasing traffic volume and the worsening traffic problem.

"From Talisay City to Carcar mao naa gyud sagad problema sa traffic i-compare nimo sa north," he said.

Aside from the traffic situation, the city government has already an existing training center than can be utilized for MCTEA.

Tumulak, however, said it now up to the city government of Talisay to accept or not the endorsement.

Moreover, Tumulak said the Capitol will lobby to prioritize the training for traffic enforcers from the southern areas of Talisay, Minglanilla up to Carcar City.

Mitzi A. Ambrad/KBQ