Tupi pre-tests speed limit ordinance By: Danilo E. Doguiles TUPI, South Cotabato -- The local government unit of Tupi in South Cotabato has started the trial run of the newly approved ordinance that has set peed limits in portions of the Pan-Philippine Highway in the municipality.
Mayor Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. said they are trying out the implementation of Municipal Ordinance No. 688, Series of 2014 prior to its final implementation in about one month. The ordinance has set speed limits to all types of motorized vehicles passing through the national highway, particularly from Crossing Polonuling to Crossing Cebuano. Based on the said ordinance, all vehicles should not exceed speed of 80 kilometers per hour (kph) when traveling from Crossing Polonuling to Crossing Acmonan and 40 kph from Crossing Acmonan to Crossing Cebuano. “The stretch of the national highway where the 40kph speed limit was set has been identified as the area where about 90 percent of the fatal road accidents occurred last year, ” Tamayo said in an interview. These accidents were attributed mostly to overspeeding and reckless driving. APRIL2014 | www.pia.gov.ph
“The 40kph limit has been set by the Department of Public Works and Highways since the construction of the national highway, but this has not been properly implemented by local government units,” he explained. “This is why we are strengthening its implementation by passing a local ordinance.” For the implementation of the ordinance the municipal government has purchased four speed guns that will be used by the implementers that include traffic enforcers, members of the Philippine National Police and troops of the Philippine Army based in the area. The same ordinance has set penalties for violators: P1,000 for the first offense, P1,500 for the second; and P2,000 or 30 day imprisonment or revocation of driver’s license or both fine and imprisonment for the third and succeeding offenses. (DEDoguilesPIA 12 with report from Tupi LGU)
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