Pasay's dancing traffic aide wants steady job

MANILA, Philippines - In the middle of the busy intersection of EDSA and Macapagal Boulevard in Pasay City, a traffic policeman turns the intersection into a stage as he entertains motorists by dancing as he directs traffic.

Every morning, Ramiro Hinojas of the Pasay City Traffic Unit could be seen in the middle of his post wiggling his hips, rolling his hands, and twisting his legs as he makes sure that the traffic flows smoothly during rush hour.

“He is always very hard working. He is the best traffic enforcer here. He does not just entertain me, he lightens up the mood of my passengers, too,” said a jeepney driver who only identified himself as Manuel.

Some commuters and motorists would smile and take pictures of Hinojas, while others would honk their horns and flash him a thumbs up. Some would go the extra mile and hand him food, money, even clothes.

Such gestures, according to Hinojas, make dancing while directing traffic all worthwhile.

“When your work gets appreciated, you can’t feel fatigue anymore,” said Hinojas who has become a street sensation, even to foreign media.

According to the Hinojas, he started out like any other ordinary traffic enforcer. “But I found their style boring and dull so I thought to myself, why not do something that will not just ease traffic congestion but make motorists smile?” he said.

It took three years for Hinojas to perfect his moves. He also makes sure that his steps jive with the several traffic lights installed at the intersection.

He said he carefully practiced in front of the mirror to make sure that he “will move like water” and not stumble, “because that would be very embarrassing.”

Hinojas, however, has a reason for dancing in the street. “All I want is to become a regular employee for the traffic unit. This is the only job I have and the only thing that is left for me,” he said.

Hinojas started working for the traffic unit in 2005 after he was laid off as a security guard by a communications company because of his age – he will turn 55 on Thursday. He has three children ages 13, 9, and two. With his wife unemployed, his P4,100 monthly salary is his family’s only means of income.

The traffic enforcer has only one uniform and a pair of working boots, both in need of repair.

Hinojas is proud of his clean record at work and how nobody has filed extortion charges against him. He said he hardly issues traffic violation tickets, too, despite the busy nature of his intersection.

When asked why, Hinojas explained emphatically: “There is no room for motorists to commit violation when a traffic enforcer is in the middle of the road and doing his job to direct traffic. How can a motorist commit mistakes if someone is guiding them?”

He said he refuses to extort money from motorists, particularly from drivers of public utility vehicles.

Motorists, however, aren’t always kind to the traffic enforcer. He said there were two instances when he was approached and given a lunch pack containing chicken bones. These instances fail to discourage Hinojas. He said every time he stands at his post, the future of his three kids dances in his head - as if it were the tune that he dances to.

“If I can get a security of tenure then I can be sure that I have a monthly income for my kids. They serve as my inspiration, that one day the city hall will notice my performance and sign me up,” Hinojas said.