DAVAO CITY — Former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte addressed the local public in regards to the city’s traffic condition due to the holiday season.

The traffic inconvenience is currently ongoing in the City of Davao due to more vehicles traversing the public roads plus the rise of new establishments such as the NCCC Mall in Ma-a and the Landers Superstore along F. Torres Street.

“What does that translate or mean to everybody? It means that Davao has developed tremendously. The traffic congestion is very serious. In the meantime, we just have to bear with the problem. What we can do is just control the traffic sa loob. We need more traffic personnel. So yung traffic division ng police department, we will ask the Philippine National Police to add more men. We need about another 50 or even 75 personnel to maintain smooth traffic. Manpower is what we need at the moment,” Duterte said during a Christmas Special with the Basta Dabawenyo Podcast last 22 December.

Duterte also urged Davaoeños to just be patient as the local government provides solutions as soon as possible.

“Because we have to train, we will need a budget. We will train them for a month or so before we can let them go out to help maintain traffic control,” he added.

Duterte is seeking for another mayoralty seat in next year’s elections next to past chairperson of the Civil Service Commission former First District Representative Karlo Nograles.