CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

1.1 RELATED LITERATURE

The phenomenon of traffic congestion, which is caused mainly by relatively wealthy car

drivers, lengthens journey times and more importantly, forces up public transport fares. Traffic is

formally organized in many jurisdictions, with marked lanes, junctions, intersections,

interchanges, traffic signals or signs. According to the City Mayor of Zamboanga Maria Isabelle

Salazar, chair of the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC), announced during the 4th

RPOC9 meeting that the road and traffic accidents topped the list of problems in the Western

Mindanao region. The mayor attributed most of the accidents to the concrete barriers set up by

the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). She appealed anew to Public Works

and Highways official to intervene and ensure that all the unfinished road projects must have

proper early signage to prevent the increasing number of traffic and road accidents, especially in

the provinces of Zamboanga Del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay and in this city. “The fourth quarter

regional peace and order council meeting identified traffic and road accidents as two major

problems affecting the region’s peace and order. We would want a dialogue with the DPWH as

well as to discuss the road barriers that are being put up without proper signage,” Salazar said.

One of the representatives of Zamboanga del Sur’s board member from Dumingag was asking

the DPWH if they can just remove the barriers,” Salazar said. Representatives from the Sibugay

province raised the same concern. In Zamboaga City, this is also what is being validated on the

ground, that the common accidents that happened are in our national highways,” she said, citing

the death of a school teacher a few weeks ago at the Baliwasan seaside due to concrete barriers
for road widening projects. Based on the report provided by Chief Supt. Emmanuel Licup, the

regional director of the Police Regional Office 9 (PRO9), of the 10,343 crime volume from

January to September 2018, some 3, 852 are traffic accidents. This explained about the traffic,

road accidents cited as most pressing problems in Region 9. According to pia.gov.ph the LGU

plays a vital role in ensuring the expeditious the efficient implementation and completion of the

flyover project so that the public may immediately enjoy its social and economic benefits. While

the project being constructed may aggravate the traffic conditions, it is a necessary burden that

Zamboangueños must bear temporarily in exchange for the long-term benefits. With political

will among our officials and cooperation among stakeholders, the flyover projects will be soon a

reality. The DPWH is committed to do whatever it can under the law to help in the full

realization of the flyover projects. Indeed, Zamboanga’s traffic woes will finally be lessened by

allowing the construction of the flyovers to commerce. (ALT/DIS/PIA9-Zamboanga City)