BACOLOD City – The Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI) called on the city government to appoint or hire a traffic czar to address traffic congestion within the city.
Frank Carbon, Vice President for Government Affairs of MBCCI, said the city needs an expert traffic management chief.
“The department [Bacolod Traffic and Transportation Management Department (BTTMD)] can be a pivotal function to attract investments and create good paying jobs. Our major concern is the traffic congestion,” Carbon said.
He added: “No movement or lesser movement results to lesser spending. Lesser spending means lesser sales. Lesser sales will result to lesser job opportunities.”
Carbon further recommended that the city government should sit down with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), Land Transportation Office (LTO) and local police, and put to paper the mandate and role of each of this regulator so that there will be no confusions on the streets.
“And they should include in the meeting the City Planning and Development Office that designs the city’s urban plan/road networks.
For her part, City Administrator Lucel Gelvolea said the BTTMD is now operational but on the process of personnel placement.
She added that there are qualifications in hiring traffic personnel.
Last year, the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) passed an ordinance creating the BTTMD.
It aims to strengthen and restructure the existing Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO), renaming it into BTTMD and amending City Ordinance (CO) No. 315, creating regular plantilla positions and appropriating funds.
Based on the said ordinance, the BTTMD head will be under the City Mayor’s Office (CMO) with Civil Service Commission (CSC) professional eligibility, a graduate of four-year course with five years of relevant experience and 32 hours of relevant training, and not a member of the Philippine National Police or other government offices or agencies that are not under the direct control and supervision of the CMO.
The ordinance further noted that for several years, the BTAO head appointment was under the pleasure of the local chief executive through a memorandum. He is tasked to exercise both ministerial and discretionary functions and perform duties of the position as provided for under CO No. 230 series of 1999 and 315, series of 2002, under the direct supervision of the CMO./PN
