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Thursday, January 29, 2004
Focus on solutions, council told
By Rene H. Martel
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
GIVE me your strategies in solving our traffic woes and traffic management deficit instead of talking about legalities and making “political accommodations.”
So said Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, who, for the first time since he became mayor, attended a public hearing during yesterday’s City Council session.
The hearing was intended to hear the sides of stakeholders in the proposed amendments to City Ordinance 1958, which paved the way for the accreditation of One Citilink Terminal on N. Bacalso Ave.
The mayor asked the council to instead focus on “the central strategy on how we solve the traffic problem” and not entertain deviations like questions on legalities and on who are affected.
He also mentioned the ballooning Cebu City Traffic Operations Management deficit, which was P39 million for last year alone.
“Let’s see how we can implement it and make the laws support it,” he said.
Yesterday, drivers and operators’ representatives exchanged views on the amendments, which give other terminals aside from One Citilink three more years as grace period for them to file for accreditation.
It was made clear, however, that those terminals rendered illegal under Ordinance 1958 cannot operate unless accredited under the proposed amendments.
The mayor’s approval is needed, though, before the amendments will become effective.
Congestion
Those who opposed the amendments cited congestion in the streets and questioned the legality of the provisions.
Lawyer Rorejohn Sepulveda argued for One Citilink in rejecting all the amendments, saying the length of the grace period will not matter because the other terminals cannot comply with the requirements under Ordinance 1958.
He also resented why terminals accredited under Ordinance 1958 have to apply again when One Citilink already entered into a contract with City Hall. This is the same situation for those accredited under Ordinance 1773.
Ordinance 1958, where only One Citilink was given accreditation, repealed Ordinance 1773, leaving the previously accredited terminals in limbo.
Vice Mayor Michael Rama said the proposed amendments seek to correct the matter, acknowledging the non-impairment of contract clause of the Constitution.
Those who favor the amendments, on the other hand, cited the existence of contracts between City Hall and the operators of other terminals under Ordinance 1773.
Cerecio Mapula, Alyansa sa Nagkahiusang Driver-Operator Alang sa Reporma adviser, also cited additional earning from more terminals and convenience to the public.
Split
During the hearing, division among the drivers was made obvious with transport leaders, all wearing yellow shirts printed with “Yes to re-routing” in front and “No to amendments” at the back, seated on one side of the gallery.
On the other side were those who favor the amendments.
The hearing started tense because of Osmeña’s presence but laughter later filled the session hall because of several miscues and wrong acknowledgments, like when Councilor Danilo Fernan was addressed as mayor and Vice Mayor Rama was instead referred to as Councilor Rama.
The mayor, in his speech before the council, outlined his strategy modeled on an international airport operation as solution to the traffic congestion in Cebu City.
He said public utility vehicles (PUVs) from outside Cebu should not reach the city’s central business district, which is Colon St., and will have to end in a terminal.
Cebu City, on the other hand, will be solely serviced by intra-city PUVs because this way, the number of vehicles will be lessened.
The mayor criticized the council because it was trying to “make all people happy” instead of focusing on the problem.
Conspicuously absent during yesterday’s public hearing was Councilor Nestor Archival, the most vocal among the proponents of the amendments.
City Administrator Juan Saul Montecillo requested for the council to just wait for the result of the study by a panel of experts the City Government hired to look into the traffic situation.
(January 29, 2004 issue)
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