TABUK CITY, Kalinga- As a way to mitigate vehicular accidents, especially at night, the city government, spearheaded by the Public Order and Safety Office (POSO), initiated a three day distribution of reflectorized stickers for hand tractors (kuliglig) on July 20-23, 2021.
According to POSO Assistant Chief Merriam Buslig, these reflectorized sticker distribution is a yearly event which started in 2016 but was temporarily put on held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year, the POSO went to Barangays Laya East, Laya West, Cabaruan, Magsaysay and Appas to distribute the reflectorized stickers.
Buslig said that as per their observation, accidents involving kuliglig, especially those without lights, remain one major factor for road accidents.
“Most of our kuligligs are customized ket kaadwan kadagita ket awan silaw na ta haan da met iprioritize ti silaw ken signal lights, just so nga ada pagluganan da. Isu nga very critical dagituy reflectorized nga stickers,” she said.
The reflectorized stickers were installed in the body of the kuligligs, mostly at the back and sides of the vehicle. Its purpose is to reflect the light of an oncoming vehicle to warn them that there is a kuliglig in front of them and for them to avoid it.
Additionally, the distribution of reflectorized stickers also served as an information education campaign (IEC) to the barangays.
Buslig said their office also held a dialogue with the respective barangay councils to discuss traffic rules and regulations and inquire about their issues and concerns regarding traffic safety and the transportation system.
During the 3-day event, the POSO personnel noticed that some kuliglig owners failed to collect the stickers from their respective barangays so they decided to deliver the stickers personally.
City Mayor Darwin Estrañero praised the POSO for taking the initiative to help address the city’s problem regarding vehicular accidents.
Estrañero also reminded every driver to practice caution when driving as vehicular accidents are on the rise. He reiterated that every driver must be responsible for their own safety, their passengers and pedestrians alike. By Edward Joseph Gacuya