Road safety education a priority as patrol unit opens new office

CEBU CITY, Philippines — A newly renovated office of the Regional Advisory Council (RAC) of the Regional Highway Patrol Unit in Central Visayas (RHPU-7) will serve as a venue for closer coordination with law enforcement personnel and community-based road safety education.

The RHPU-7 inaugurated the office on Friday, August 14, with Police Brigadier Gen. Rommel Batangan, director of the Highway Patrol Group, RHPU-7 personnel and RAC members in attendance.

Education as primary focus

RAC Chairman Jomen Mendaros said one of the council’s main goals following the activation of its office is to consolidate its different riding committees into a single group before expanding its road safety education initiatives.

Mendaros said the council intends to educate the public on responsible road use, noting that road safety concerns can begin once people leave their homes and start using the roads.

The planned education efforts are expected to target elementary and high school students, as well as communities at the barangay level.

Mendaros said education is an area where the council can complement the work of the police, whose primary function is law enforcement.

“Primary gyud is to help the RHPU, but sa atoang initiatives, motabang pud ta kay ang kapulisan kuwang ra gyud. So education ang kuwang,” Mendaros said.

(The primary aim is to help the highway patrol but we will also back our initiatives because the police are not enough; education for safety is not enough.)

Closer coordination with RHPU-7

Mendaros said the office will also provide a venue for the council to coordinate more closely with RHPU-7 and discuss initiatives concerning road safety and responsible road use.

Batangan said the RAC has been providing support to RHPU-7 and noted the council members’ participation in the unit’s activities.

“With this new office, maraming mapag-uusapan dito na ikagaganda pa lalo ng not only with the RHPU 7 but also with the whole community ng Cebu City,” Batangan said.

(In this office many things may be discussed to improve not only the regional patrol but also the whole Cebu City community.)

Riding community’s education

As its next step, Mendaros said the RAC plans to bring together its different riding communities into one group before proceeding with its education initiatives.

He said the varying attitudes and practices of riders make road safety education necessary, particularly in helping road users understand how their behavior can contribute to accidents.

The council plans to begin with younger road users through schools before expanding its efforts to barangays.

The office will therefore serve as a venue for the RAC’s coordination with RHPU-7 and its planned road safety education initiatives in communities.

Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.