To prevent a repeat of the heavy traffic along the National Highway in Tablon during the barangay fiesta parade on Saturday, January 17, 2026, Cagayan de Oro City 2nd District Councilor Eric Salcedo is proposing the adoption of a standard template for future similar activities. The template would guide event organizers of barangay fiesta parades or barangay day celebrations on key requirements, including event location and schedule, as well as the deputization of barangay tanods or civic organizations when necessary. Salcedo said he will convene stakeholders to craft the guidelines, with separate templates to be developed for activities along CM Recto Avenue and in the numbered barangays.
During a radio interview on Magnum Radyo earlier today, January 19, 2026, Councilor Salcedo who is the Chairman of the City Council Committee on Public Utilities as well as the designated Overseer of the City’s Roads and Traffic Administration (RTA), said the parade organizers were allotted only one lane of the highway. He noted that many of the city’s eastern barangays lack alternate wide roads for holding such events, which is why he is proposing a standardized template for future similar activities.
Meanwhile, RTA Head Engr. Nonito Oclarit said in the radio interview that it was unfortunate the parade occupied half of the six-lane highway instead of just one lane, causing heavy traffic. He added that they were unable to hold a coordination meeting for the event because the request was submitted late and the schedule was already too tight.
For his part, Tablon Punong Barangay Romeo Bacarro said the traffic initially resulted from a vehicular accident in nearby Barangay Agusan, which took authorities more than 30 minutes to address. By the time they arrived, traffic had already built up in the area. He added that, in addition to the six personnel from the RTA, he assigned over 20 barangay tanods and additional barangay workers to help manage the traffic.
Compared to last year’s (January 2025) barangay parade, which used only one lane and did not cause heavy traffic, this year’s event led to significant congestion, as all eastbound lanes were occupied. See aerial shot below.
Below is a sample of last year’s parade.
While the parade, which occupied three lanes, initially caused heavy traffic in Tablon last Saturday, the situation worsened as many vehicles began counterflowing.
