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Friday, April 28, 2006
Tricycle drivers to launch mass action v. city ordinance
By Jimmy P. Abayon
AT LEAST seven of Dumaguete City's 14 tricycle associations will hold a transport caravan and a noise barrage to demand the repeal of controversial city ordinance.
City Ordinance 88 raised the mayor's fee from P27 to P400 and the franchise fee from P460 to P860 of the tricycle drivers and operators.
The mass action came as the president of the federation of tricycles and operators association Rolly Anadon resigned over the controversy and raised questions on his role in the approval of the ordinance.
Anadon's resignation also followed the decision of the seven associations to join Motor-Piston-Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), which is behind the call to repeal the ordinance.
"Ordinance 88 is oppressive because it is not proportionate to the income of the drivers compared to the tax being imposed by the City Government," Motor chairman Cirilo Collado told a press conference at Chin Loong Restaurant Monday.
"It is an illegal ordinance forcefully implemented to collect tax and spend it by lending loans to private individuals," Collado added.
In their regular session last week, the City Council passed on first reading a proposed repeal ordinance authored by Councilor Saleto Erames.
"But we are not contented, we are disgusted and enraged over the slow and bureaucratic process the council opted to solve the problem," KMU-Negros Oriental coordinator Ronald Ian Evidente said.
Evidente criticized Ordinance 88 author Samuel Dicen for keeping himself away allegedly to delay the repeal of his measure.
"It is his obligation as a councilor to attend sessions to resolve the issue very soon. He must also learn to accept the fact that his ordinance is fatally defective, oppressive, and unacceptable to the majority of poor drivers and operators," Collado said.
Evidente said he was taking Dicen on his word that he would resign from the committee on transportation of the City Council.
"He said he would resign...he should," the KMU leader said.
(April 27, 2006 issue)
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