ILOILO City – With over 300 road crashes — including one fatality — recorded at the Iloilo Business Park in Mandurriao district from 2023 to 2024 alone, the city government is moving to fill a regulatory vacuum in private developments by authorizing township-based security and traffic marshals to help enforce city traffic laws.
Mayor Jerry Treñas has submitted a proposed ordinance seeking to deputize security personnel in large-scale private developments — known as townships — to issue traffic violation tickets in accordance with Regulation Ordinance 2008-393, which covers offenses such as obstruction and illegal parking.
“These are spaces used by the public every day. We need to ensure safety and discipline wherever people walk or drive,” a legal aide from the mayor’s office stressed.
Although townships are privately owned, they are open to the general public and generate significant daily foot and vehicular traffic. However, township security guards currently lack legal authority to enforce local ordinances, leaving enforcement gaps and contributing to rising incidents.
Under the proposed measure, deputized township personnel would receive citation tickets from the Iloilo City Traffic and Transportation Management Office (ICTTMO) and be required to report all apprehensions. They will not be authorized to confiscate drivers’ licenses. Instead, violators must pay fines directly to the city government, and each township must keep a logbook of incidents.
Councilor Sedfrey Cabaluna, chair of the City Council’s Committee on Transportation, endorsed the measure, saying it was “legally sound” and backed by the mayor’s legal team.
“It does not give away unchecked authority but rather defines specific powers and limits,” he said.
City hall lawyers assert the ordinance passes both the “completeness” and “sufficient standard” tests in administrative law, outlining clear qualifications, procedures, and jurisdiction for deputized personnel.
However, some councilors remain unconvinced. One member of the Sangguniang Panlungsod, speaking anonymously, questioned the legality of allowing private individuals to carry out public enforcement duties.
“It might be more appropriate for the city to exercise its police powers directly rather than delegate this to private personnel,” the councilor said.
With the 11th City Council’s term ending June 30, 2025, the ordinance has been deferred and is expected to be refiled under the 12th City Council.
The proposal forms part of the Treñas administration’s broader effort to ensure traffic order in rapidly urbanizing areas, including spaces that blur the line between private ownership and public use./PN
