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CEBU CITY, Philippines – Except for the traffic, the first day of classes in most schools in Cebu City on Tuesday went on without a hitch as authorities implemented their security measures.
Police said there were no untoward incidents related to the opening of classes.
“Wa tay nadawat nga mga alarma not even snatching (We did not receive any alarms yesterday, not even a snatching alarm),” said Senior Superintendent Patrocinio Comendador Jr., chief of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO).
Over 700 policemen were deployed to secure the over 100 public and private schools in Cebu City. Each of the schools was secured by at least two policemen.
Comendador said the policemen will secure the schools until such time they feel that the students are safe in their homes.
The policemen will secure the students from the start of classes until after dismissal time in the afternoon.
He said a policeman has also been assigned to secure each of the city's mountain barangays (villages).
Comendador said the police coordinated with Committee on Higher Education in Central Visayas (CHED 7) chief Enrique Grecia and other school administrators in the implementation of the security measures.
Meanwhile, traffic volume in areas near most city schools including the area where the Banilad-Talamban flyover is constructed has increased.
The other congested areas included V. Rama Avenue where the Sacred Heart for Girls is located and Barangay Lahug where the University of Southern Philippines is situated.
Police officials partly blame the increase in traffic volume in the V. Rama area and Lahug to the parents personally sending their children to school in their own vehicles being the first day of school.
“It's the first day of classes and the parents are personally sending their children to school,” said Superintendent Paul Labra II, CCPO's deputy chief of operations in Cebuano.
He observed traffic flow in those areas on Tuesday.
As expected Governor Cuenco Avenue or the Banilad-Talamban area traffic, where a flyover is being constructed, was heavy as some of the schools in the area also started their classes.
Adendo Abella, Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) traffic enforcer, said he is expecting traffic to worsen in the area as most schools will start classes next week.
Bumper-to-bumper traffic started at around 7 a.m. in the area on Tuesday as student commuters and motorists hurry to their schools.
There are at least four chokepoints in the Gov. Cuenco Avenue route. For vehicles going to Talamban from Cebu City, one of the chokepoints is the area a few meters from the Banilad Trade Center where two-lane traffic converges to a one-lane traffic going to the corner of A.S. Fortuna where vehicles make a right turn to AS Fortuna. Another is at the corner of AS Fortuna St. with vehicles making a detour to Bonifacio Street onto Gov. Cuenco Avenue
More traffic enforcers however are controlling traffic in the area. /Correspondents Chito O. Aragon and Justin Anjuli K. Vestil
