ILOILO City – Faced with just three clearing teams for 180 barangays, the Iloilo City government is moving to deputize barangay officials as traffic enforcers in a major shift aimed at keeping cleared roads permanently free of illegal parking and other obstructions.
The proposed program seeks to address what city traffic officials described as a persistent enforcement gap: roads are cleared during city operations, only for obstructions and illegally parked vehicles to return once clearing teams leave.
Public Order and Safety Management Office (POSMO) chief of operations Cyril Octavio said sustaining the gains of clearing operations has become one of the city’s biggest challenges.
“In our operation, the problem always is consistency. That is the gap,” Octavio said.
The scale of the manpower shortage is stark. Only three clearing teams are currently responsible for monitoring and clearing roads across all 180 barangays.
“There are 180 barangays and we only have three clearing teams. We cannot saturate the whole 180,” Octavio said.
“Considering that we have limited personnel, we initiated that the barangay will be deputized,” he added.
Under the proposed system, barangay officials will undergo orientation and training before being authorized to enforce traffic regulations within their respective communities.
Traffic and Transportation Management Office (TTMO) and POSMO Head Uldarico Garbanzos said deputizing barangay personnel would effectively expand the city’s enforcement presence without requiring city clearing teams to be stationed everywhere.
“Not all the time we are in the barangays. Not all the time we can operate simultaneously across the 180 barangays,” Garbanzos said.
“But if we have deputized agents, we can have monitoring. We will have additional eyes and ears, and within the barangay level, they can enforce and issue tickets,” he added.
Among those being considered for deputation are punong barangays, barangay council members who chair committees on peace and order, and chief tanods. Other barangay officials may also qualify.
Once deputized, officials will receive citation tickets from the TTMO and will be authorized to enforce violations covered by the tickets.
Garbanzos said the city already has a training program that could be adapted for barangay officials, based on previous deputation training given to security guards assigned to roads within areas covered by Megaworld Corp. in Mandurriao.
Training will include lectures, theoretical discussions and actual field exercises before participants receive deputized identification cards.
As of Sept. 29, the TTMO had completed coordination meetings with all 180 barangays in 10 batches.
Octavio said about 75 percent of the barangays have signified their intention to participate.
Some barangays, however, have expressed reservations over the possibility that enforcement could become politicized.
“But we advise them to set aside politics. Our purpose is we can clear the barangays para sa tanan,” Octavio said.
“The purpose is that if there is order in barangays, that would mean peaceful management and seamless movement of the residents,” he added.
City officials stressed that deputation would not grant barangay personnel unrestricted enforcement powers.
Garbanzos said the city could revoke the authority of deputized personnel if they abuse their powers or become the subject of complaints.
“This deputation is not absolute. We can confiscate it later on if we see abuse and there are complaints. We have measures and we will monitor to restrain this abuse,” he said.
Octavio said the TTMO could similarly cancel a barangay’s deputation in cases of grave abuse or politicization, while evaluators would be deployed to monitor implementation.
The program cannot formally take effect until the city council passes an enabling ordinance. The TTMO is targeting the start of training for barangay officials this October.
Beyond enforcement, the city is exploring longer-term measures to address Iloilo City’s parking problem.
Octavio said barangays could establish common parking areas using available spaces such as gyms and other open areas.
Barangays have also been directed to inventory vehicle owners in their communities, including owners of two-wheelers, four-wheelers and tricycles, and determine which households have garages.
“It is important that we can identify and we have an inventory, or else we cannot give a comprehensive solution. We identify how many are two-wheelers, four-wheelers,” Octavio said.
The city has found that some residents illegally park their vehicles outside their own barangays, further complicating enforcement.
The TTMO identified Barangays Duran, Concepcion and Veterans Village in the city proper among areas with persistent on-road parking problems.
Despite the additional duties envisioned for barangay officials, the city has yet to discuss incentives or honoraria for those who participate.
“So far, that has not been tackled yet. This is for public service,” Octavio said./PN
