Tuesday, December 30, 2008 Jeepney exemption from number coding proposed
ANOTHER proposal, which seeks to exempt this time public utility jeepneys from the coverage of the Number Coding Ordinance, was submitted to the City Council.
The exemption may be given to jeepney associations whose members are legitimate owners of certificates of public conveyance (CPC), said Vice Mayor Daniel Fariñas, the proposal's author.
Exemption will only be during rush hour, Fariñas said, pointing out that it is during this times when passengers line up and wait until jeepney services are available.
Getting caught in traffic and the lack of units are seen as reasons why the riding public demands for additional units.
"Jeepney trunklines with valid franchises and units could only be tapped and exempted from the Number Coding Ordinance, during these hours of great need. We could speed up the time it takes for passengers to go their places of work or study, or otherwise spare a little more precious time for their families and studies when they could get home a little earlier than usual," a portion of the proposal stated.
Under the proposal, jeepney associations that wish to avail of the exemption must request from the City Council, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), the local chapter of the Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Associations of the Philippines (Fejodap), and the Traffic Management Branch of the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) to exempt them from the coverage of the ordinance.
Attached to the request is a list of the number of units and their corresponding CPCs and the time and dates of exemption.
The committee on public utilities, transportation, and traffic legislation, the DOTC, and Fejodap are the agencies that would evaluate and recommend if an association is qualified for exemption.
These same agencies will formulate guidelines for exemption, Fariñas proposed.
Comment from the public transport sector meanwhile has yet to be heard.
In earlier press statements however, Fejodap has opposed the recent exemption of private vehicles from the coverage of the ordinance.
Fejodap Baguio-Benguet chapter president Perfecto Itliong Jr. said giving permanent exemption to private vehicles would aggravate the worsening traffic situation in Baguio. (Rimaliza Opiña)
