A tripartite project seeking to draft a robust city ordinance to address the city’s traffic issue is underway. This initiative is led by Silliman University’s Dr. Jovito Salonga Center for Law and Development in partnership with the Dumaguete Lion’s Club and key local government units (LGU). This Center-led activity owes its genesis to the recognition of the constitutional right of local governments to control and manage its own streets. Road congestion in many small cities like Dumaguete is an inevitable problem which comes with the increasing volume of people and business making its way here. During a follow up meeting held late last month, several issues were identified. A cursory look at the existing penalties for traffic violations in the city exposed the Traffic Management Office’s (TMO) lack of teeth. For example, parking violations, causing the notorious problem of double parking in the city, will only cost the offender 50-100…
