A DAY after he ordered the shutdown of a temporary van-for-hire (V-hire) terminal in Barangay Kamagayan, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña announced the closure will not push through.
In a Facebook post, Osmeña said that Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III asked him not to close it because many of the governor’s constituents from the province benefit from it.
However, the mayor said the terminal will now be under the management of the Barangay Mayor’s Office (BMO) of Barangay Kamagayan.
“Because Governor Davide asked, the Kamagayan V-Hire area will not be closed. He just called me, saying that many of his constituents benefit from it, so I will support him. However, the abusive management of the terminal will not be allowed to return,” Osmeña wrote.
Douglas Labra used to manage the temporary terminal.
In his news conference last Monday, Osmeña ordered the closure of the temporary V-hire terminal after a reported dispute between Labra and some of his allies in the BMO, over parking spaces.
He said he wanted to “dismantle the hierarchy.”
Conditions
“Kamagayan will now be directly under the Barangay Mayor’s Office to make sure that the drivers are not forced to eat in the management’s carenderia or refuel in a certain station,” Osmeña added in his post.
In 2016, the mayor allowed the temporary terminal to use the lot where the CitiCenter Commercial Complex used to stand. He said it was a temporary arrangement.
At present, at least 227 V-hires use the terminal.
Osmeña said he kept the terminal open even if he was sued after an earlier move.
Councilor Raymond Alvin Garcia had filed a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman against Osmeña and former city treasurer Tessie Camarillo.
In his 11-page complaint, Garcia said that Osmeña and Camarillo violated several provisions of Republic Act (RA) 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and City Ordinance (CO) 1958, or the Ordinance Regulating the Establishment and Operation of Terminals for Public Utility Jeepneys and V-hires.
Osmeña also violated CO 1958 since he approved the establishment of the terminal without the required certificate of accreditation from the City Council, the councilor had said. (RVC)