Traffic signs, help desks set up for school opening

TRAFFIC personnel in Cebu City are bracing for busier roads and streets with the opening of schools this week.

Rafael Yap, operations chief of the Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (Citom), said they will repaint road markings, fix traffic signs and deploy more personnel for visibility near Cebu City schools.

Traffic congestion is expected to be heaviest in Juana Osmeña St., (St. Theresa’s College); Gorordo Ave. (Colegio De La Inmaculada Concepcion) and P. Del Rosario St. (City Central School and Abellana Nationall High School).

Also included is F. Cabahug St. (St. Benedict Childhood Education Center); and in the Talamban area.

Citom executive assistant Joy Tumulak said motorists are advised to avoid traffic hotspots from 6-8 a.m and 5 to 6 p.m.

“This is not new. This happens every year. We are ready,” Yap said in a phone interview.

The Cebu Coast Guard said passenger assistance centers (PACs) were stationed in all ports of Cebu for student passengers from different provinces.

Coast Guard personnel will also inspect vessels for sea worthiness and monitor them for any overloading.

Senior Supt. Mariano Natu-el, Cebu City police chief, said police personnel are deployed in various schools in the city.

A police assistance desk is also being put in every school for any concerns. “Petty crimes are expected to increase especially during the enrollment period and opening of classes,” he said.

The Cebu City Police Office will also be distributing notebooks, bags, and other school supplies in Mabolo Elementary School on Monday.

Students were also advised to bring umbrellas and raincoats due to the onset of the rainy season.

“There will be rains that will last for 30 minutes or less,” said weather analyst Ella Comahig of the Pagasa-Mactan office.

She said the rain experienced in Cebu is caused by the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ).

The ITCZ is situated in Palawan and Mindanao, bringing rains over those areas and nearby islands.

“We’re just experiencing the transition period (from summer to the wet season),” Comahig said.

No storm or tropical cyclone is expected during the start of classes in public schools and some private ones tomorrow.

The weather bureau said coastal waters throughout the archipelago will be slight to moderate except during thunderstorms. Reporter Ador Vincent Mayol and Correspondents Jose Santino S. Bunachita and Joy Cherry Quito