DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/15 October) – Beginning Monday, it will be the end of the road for jaywalkers as Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio has ordered traffic enforcers to again implement the anti-jaywalking ordinance, to ensure road safety and prevent congestion in the city streets.
“We have to again start apprehending the jaywalkers. Jaywalkers needed to be disciplined,” said Senior Insp. Bebiano U. Alcuizar, deputy for operations of the Traffic Management Center.
Over a year ago, the city government had already bared plans to reactivate the jaywalking ordinance, which was decriminalized by former mayor Rodrigo Duterte some 10 years ago to avoid Davao City being branded as a “city of ex-convicts”.
Ordinance No. 778 Series of 1973 or the Jaywalking Law requires violators to undergo a seminar or perform community service as penalty.
To preempt excuses there was no prior announcement that the ordinance has been revived, Alcuizar said the agency had conducted an information drive about it in various communities and made pedestrian lanes and signages more visible.
He said that as of now the implementation will be limited to C.M. Recto Street, Ramon Magsaysay Street and J.P. Laurel Avenue since not all streets have pedestrian lanes and signages for lack of budget. He said the agency needs an additional budget for the lanes, signages and repainting of the yellow boxes that serve as designated loading and unloading areas.
Councilor Pilar C. Braga, chair of the committee on energy, transportation and communication, said it is good that the traffic enforcers will start apprehending jaywalkers again.
“We will then revisit the jaywalking ordinance if it needs an amendment,” Braga said. (MindaNews)
