by Jeanevive Duron-Abangan

Tagum City (21 July) -- Tagum City Mayor Rey T. Uy is getting serious of freeing up city roads of noise and of preventing accidents.

Aside from going after motorcycle units with noisy engine mufflers, Uy is set to intensively go after drivers who have gulped down liquor beyond tolerable limits.

Yesterday (Tuesday), Uy ordered to flatten by a road-roller (locally called pison) a total of 59 noisy mufflers locally called "bura-bura", bringing to a total of 82 of such kind that had been destroyed by the Tagum City Engineering Office.

Uy watched as the City Engineer's Office road-roller rolled over the confiscated mufflers at Tagum City Motorpool ground located in Magugpo East (Briz) this city.

In an interview with the media, Uy explained he had gone on a relentless drive against motorcycles with bura-bura in response to numerous complaints he received through text messages.

The mayor's move was backed with a city ordinance which was taken after the Republic Act 4136 or "An Act To Compile the Laws Relative to Land Transportation and Traffic Rules, To Create a Land Transportation Commission", known as the "Land Transportation and Traffic Code".

Uy was planning to sell as scrap materials the flattened noisy mufflers, and the proceeds of which will go to the city coffers. "Ibalik man pud na isip serbisyo sa katawhan," he told the media.

Mufflers are typically installed along the vehicle's exhaust pipes and was originally aimed at reducing the vehicle's exhaust noise.

The muffler or silencer was originally invented by Milton O. Reeves, but the noise emanating from confiscated mufflers (bura-bura) in Tagum City creates a virtual moving havoc in the streets that could typically rouse someone from sleep.

"Saba kaayo. Daghan ng nagreklamo," Uy said while calling on those whose units were still installed with bura-bura to keep watch as he vowed his campaign to go no let up.

Meanwhile, Uy is set to run before the year ends, a road "breath test" to check whether all drivers of either private or public vehicles have taken in liquor as they are driving.

"Atong prisohon; mas maayo nga sa prisohan siya makatulog ug mahuwasan kaysa mag-drive siya," he told the media. "Kung makainom, matulog na lang," he said.

Uy explained his move as his response to a number of road accidents attributed to driver's error which when traced, was due to liquor intoxication.

"In the previous Saturday alone, three road accidents in just one night," he cited as an instance to show how frequent road accidents usually happen in the city.