Carillo: Cash aid for enforcer’s kin not enough

CEBU, Philippines - The standard burial assistance given to the family of a female enforcer killed while manning traffic in Barangay Banilad is not enough, said Cebu City Councilor Gerardo Carillo in a privilege speech yesterday.

Cairllo said that aside from the P10,000 cash provided to the family of Maria Theresa Bascones, the city government should give additional assistance especially that the enforcer’s death was on line of duty.

Bascones, 38, died on July 15 after she was hit by a Hyundai Tucson wagon driven by Korean national Sun Kyung Heo.

Carillo further said in his speech that since Cebu City is considered as a highly-modernized environment, it is high time that it should upgrade its traffic system.

“But how is this even possible that there are some areas in our city that doesn’t have any traffic lights?”  Carillo asked. “A traffic enforcer has to stand on a particular road to keep the traffic moving smoothly because there is no traffic light at all,” he added.

In line with Carillo’s request, the Cebu City Traffic Operations Management recently forwarded its resolution expressing the need to upgrade and update the traffic system in the north corridor including the Banilad-Talamban area, where the female enforcer was killed.

Meanwhile, the City Council is eyeing on giving accident insurance to traffic enforcers and members of the disaster response team to repay the risky nature of their jobs.

Last Monday, the City Disaster Council passed a resolution allocating P1 million a year as accident group insurance for fire auxiliary officers, emergency medical service workers on field, 400 disaster response volunteers, and 250 traffic enforcers.

The P1 million will be charged against the P200-million annual budget for the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund.  — (FREEMAN)