Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio (Paulo C. Rizal/davaotoday.com)
DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio required the Land Transportation Office, the City Traffic and Transportation Management Office, and the Highway Patrol Group to present statistics that would prove the effectiveness of speed guns in decreasing the number of road accidents.
The use of speed guns and the implementation of traffic rules in the city were discussed among officials here after a collision between a passenger van and a six wheeler truck on Wednesdaymorning resulted into 10 deaths and at least seven injuries.
The passenger van reportedly overtook one vehicle and crashed head on to the truck in Baranggay Tibungco here.
This despite the city being known as having one of the most stringent traffic rules in the country.
In an ambush interview on Wednesday, the mayor said the high cost of purchasing the speed guns must be justified given the constraints of the city budget.
A speed gun currently costs P 75,000 to P 80,000 per unit.
“Actually nag-request sila and I told them to give me statistics na magsulti — because this is public funds, give me statistics na katong paggamit sa speed guns has a direct relation sa pagreduce sa accidents and pagreduce sa overspeeding sa atoang mga dalan”
(Actually they have requested, and I told them to give me statistics that will tell — because this is public funds, give me statistics that will show a direct relation between the use of speed guns and the reduction of accidents and overspeeding in our roads), she said.
Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, meanwhile, lambasted the traffic agencies for “faltering” in their duties.
“Dugay ug gikapoy na ko cge pahinumdum sa LTO, LTFRB, ug CTTMO nga disiplinahon ang mga van drivers entering Davao ug mga bus drivers ug labi na mga jeep nga Toril ang biyahe. Wa nako kabalo kung buta mo o bungol. Karon nga naa napod nangamatay mag atik atik napod mo og dakop. Mao di madakpan ni mga van kay naay under the table sa mga traffic officers. Yes that is an accusation because I have informants”
(I have long been tired of reminding the LTO, LTFRB, and the CTTMO to discipline the van and bus drivers entering Davao City, especially the jeepneys who ply the Toril route. I don’t know if you are blind or deaf. Now that people have died, you will again make a show of apprehending violators. You’re under the table transactions with traffic officers is the reasons why van (drivers) are not apprehended. Yes that is an accusation because I have informants), he said.
In a previous interview, Davao City Police HPG Head, Superintendent Ernesto Castillo revealed that they only had two functioning speed guns left since his assumption of his post in June 2016.
Castillo said the lack of speed guns have cut their ability to apprehend traffic rule violators by more than half in 2016.
Read related story: Lack of speed guns, breath analyzer cuts traffic apprehensions
