Saturday, August 16, 2008 Body to hear anew bid for motorcades ban By Grace L. Plata
ANOTHER hearing will be conducted to discuss the proposed motorcade ban since Friday morning's hearing was not concluded due to the absence of its proponent, Councilor Bonifacio Militar.
"He is not feeling well but his staff attended the hearing," said Councilor Pilar Braga, chair of the council committee on energy, communication, and transportation.
The attendees composed of representatives from the Traffic Management Center (TMC), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), and the Philippine National Police (PNP) just went on a brainstorming session. Most of the representatives, however, just want the motorcades regulated and not totally banned.
"They believe foot parades cause more traffic problems. We will be discussing possible regulatory measures in the next hearing but the date is not definite yet," Braga said.
The proposal, entitled the "Ordinance Prohibiting Motorcade Within the Territorial Jurisdiction of Davao City" was proposed by Militar as part of the city's "austerity measures."
"Due to unabated rising cost of gasoline and other petroleum products, holding of motorcades and other similar activities is considered a senseless extravagance that must be discouraged," Militar earlier said.
He added that it will not only address environmental concerns but will also help ensure unimpeded flow of traffic in the city's major thoroughfares.
Based on the proposal, only motorcades held during the "Araw ng Dabaw" and "Kadayawan sa Dabaw" celebrations are exempted from the ban.
Violators will be subjected to a fine of P5,000 and/or imprisonment of not less than six months.
An almost-similar ordinance was passed by Baguio City last June 2008 when Baguio Mayor Reinaldo Bautista Jr. ordered local police to "deny outright" application for motorcades.
Another has been ordered by the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) in 2007 but was opposed by local governments saying the MMDA does not have the power to craft policies.
