Apalit mayor to clamp down tighter on trucks

Saturday, January 14, 2012

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Apalit Mayor Jun Tetangco said over the weekend with the full implementation of the Anti-Overloading Law, the Municipal Government will clamp down tighter on overloaded quarry trucks plying the town’s roads.

The town’s roads had been badly damaged by overloaded trucks and have even lost the Colgante Bridge last year because of unscrupulous truckers who “sneak in and out” especially during wee hours.

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But Tetangco and Apalit law officials had led the way in apprehending overloaded trucks four years ago, even before the agreement was signed last Friday.

“Four years ago, nearly 2,000 overloaded trucks were passing through our roads in Apalit, badly damaging them and costing us millions of pesos in maintenance works. Mostly the trucks were from the neighboring province of Nueva Ecija who tried to sneak out their loads in wee hours. We were apprehending and impounding hundreds of them each day. Colgante Bridge even collapsed because of these,” Tetangco told Sun.Star Pampanga.

Full enforcement of the law, he said, would hopefully eradicate overloaded trucks.

“Lately though, the number of overloaded trucks passing Apalit has gone down to about 100. Hopefully, with the signing of the agreement and its strictest implementation would finally solve the problem. But we would continue to clamp down tighter on overloaded trucks to protect our infrastructure,” concluded Tetangco.