Located 66 kilometers north of Metro Manila is San Fernando, a first class city and capital of Pampanga province. As of 2020, it had a population of almost 355,000 people. Interestingly, San Fernando is also called “the Christmas Capital of the Philippines,” mainly due to its Grand Lantern Festival, which the city holds every December.
San Fernando is also home to numerous businesses, commercial establishments, and cultural destinations. Everyday, thousands of public buses, jeepneys, and tricycles — not to mention private vehicles — traverse the city’s roads. To help manage traffic and ensure the smooth flow of vehicles, the City Public Order and Safety Coordinating Office (CPOSCO) was created. Its roles and functions are quite similar to those of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) in Manila.
What is the CPOSCO?
According to its official website, the San Fernando City Public Order and Safety Coordinating Office (CPOSCO) is responsible for formulating, coordinating, and monitoring programs, projects, and policies on transport modes, the use of roads, and infrastructures.
Furthermore, the office is also responsible for:
- Protecting and ensuring the safety of San Fernando’s citizens, organizations, and institutions against threats to their well-being;
- Providing relevant information for the purposes of promoting public safety objectives;
- Formulating and implementing programs, policies, and procedures to ensure public safety, especially in times of calamities when preparations, rescue, and relief operations are needed; and
- Overseeing and monitoring the enforcement and implementation of public order and safety programs at the City and barangay levels.
Divisions of CPOSCO
The CPOSCO is comprised of two main divisions: the Traffic and Public Order Management Division, and the Administrative Division.
Traffic and Public Order Management Division
The CPOSCO website states that this division is responsible for:
- Strict implementation of policies and standards programs related to traffic management as well as public order management;
- Enforcing the provisions of the city’s traffic rules and regulations, along with other national traffic laws;
- Implementing traffic re-routing plans as alternative schemes, in order to decongest heavy traffic build-up during special occasions or in times of calamities/disasters;
- Ensuring the implementation of city laws and ordinances related to public order and safety; and
- Ensuring a progressive traffic flow and the safety of motorists, pedestrians, and commuters alike.
Administrative Division
Meanwhile, this division is responsible for:
- Developing and formulating policies and standard programs;
- Analyzing traffic re-routing plans, which involve public transport modes and services such as buses, jeepneys, and tricycles;
- Facilitating the smooth flow of administrative operations, such as preparation of transmittals for apprehended traffic violators, preparation of traffic reports, and management of records; and
- Recommending alternative strategies or reforms for the attainment and/or improvement of the office’s goals and objectives.
Traffic Updates
The CPOSCO issues daily traffic updates through its official Facebook page. Throughout the day, its posts information about the status of traffic (i.e. light, moderate, heavy) in various locations across the city. From time to time, it also features live videos of different parts of the city, showing real-time traffic situations.
“Fernandino Ka, Kayabe Ka King Disiplina” Program
“Fernandino Ka, Kayabe Ka King Disiplina” is the flagship program of the CPOSCO. It aims to promote road safety and discipline among all road users in San Fernando City. This program is part of a broader effort, which seeks to reduce traffic-related incidents and ensure that road users are well-equipped to minimize risks. It also puts emphasis on the importance of obeying traffic rules, using safety equipment, proper road conduct, and shared responsibility.
As part of this program, the CPOSCO, along with partner agencies, has been distributing helmets, arm sleeves, and other road safety gear to motorcycle riders, bicycle riders, and vehicle drivers. In addition, it has been distributing educational materials that promote rode safety awareness to the general public.
External Services
Aside from the above programs, the CPOSCO also provides several external services, as described in the Citizen’s Charter of the City Government of San Fernando:
Settlement of Issued Traffic Citation Ticket
This service is for traffic and public order violators who have been issued a Traffic Citation Ticket (TCT). This must be settled within three (3) working days from issuance.
Renewal of Public Motorized Tricycle for Hire
This service is for operators of public motorized tricycle operators, who need to renew their franchise regularly in order to operate legally within San Fernando City.
Securing of Pedicab Operator’s Permit
Operators of pedicabs need to secure a permit from the CPOSCO, in order to operate legally in San Fernando City.
Claiming of Impounded Vehicles
The penalties for some traffic violations involve the impounding of vehicles. In these cases, those who have been issued a TCT must settle it with the CPOSCO, in order to claim their vehicles.
Violations and Penalties
The Citizen’s Charter of the San Fernando City Government lists the following violations and penalties. Note that these include violations related to traffic, road safety, and public safety in general:
- Jaywalking – PHP 100
- Public utility vehicles without waste receptacle (trashcan) – PHP 200
- Spitting, nose blowing, urinating, and defecating in public places – PHP 200
- No logo – PHP 300
- No entry pass – PHP 300
- No safety helmet – PHP 300
- Odd-even scheme – PHP 300
- Unlocked helmet strap – PHP 300
- Unqualified child back rider – PHP 300
- Open burning of solid waste – PHP 300
- Not in proper uniform (PUV) – PHP 300
- No helmet (driver/back rider) – PHP 300
- Littering, throwing, dumping of waste in public spaces – PHP 300
- Using/wearing headset, earphone, earplug, and other similar gadget – PHP 300
- Vandalism – PHP 500
- Trip cutting – PHP 500
- Reckless driving – PHP 500
- Colorum tricycle – PHP 500
- No DL/Invalid DL – PHP 500
- OR/CR not carried – PHP 500
- Unregistered vehicle – PHP 500
- Not wearing seat belt – PHP 500
- More than one backrider – PHP 500
- Loading/Unloading at PZ – PHP 500
- Illegal turning/counter flow – PHP 500
- No silencer/defective or modified muffler – PHP 500
- Driving tricycle on national roads/major thoroughfares – PHP 500
- Illegal parking/waiting in prohibited area/illegal terminal – PHP 500
- Calling or receiving calls and reading/sending text messages – PHP 500
- Illegal parking of trucks/heavy vehicles on major thoroughfare 24 hrs – PHP 500
- Obstruction of roads by MV/vendors and any kind of obstruction to include stalled vehicle – PHP 500
- Smoking/Vaping and allowing any person to smoke/vape in enclosed public spaces and conveyances – PHP 500
- Number coding – PHP 750
- Out of route/line/service area – PHP 1,000
- Illegal vending along passageways and sidewalks – PHP 1,000
- Selling and smoking tobacco products in schools, hospitals, public facilities, and selling to minors – PHP 3,000
Contact Information: San Fernando CPOSCO
If you have any questions or concerns for the City Public Order and Safety Coordinating Office (CPOSCO), you can send it through the following contact details:
Address: San Fernando, Pampanga
Telephone: (045) 961 4678 (local no. 120)
Email: cposco@cityofsanfernando.gov.ph
Website: https://cityofsanfernando.gov.ph/city-public-order-and-safety-coordinating-office/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CSFP.POSCO
Google Map:
Final Thoughts
To help manage traffic and ensure road safety in a highly urbanized city such as San Fernando, offices such as the City Public Order and Safety Coordinating Office (CPOSCO) are definitely necessary.
Meanwhile, in Angeles City, which is also located in Pampanga, there’s a similar road authority that manages traffic as well: the Angeles City Traffic Development Office (ACTDO).