Sunday, March 16, 2008 San Fernando Terminal 'violates' EO 712 By Ian Ocampo Flora
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- The continuing operation of the controversial City Central Transport Terminal here is seen to be in violation of the executive order (EO) 712 issued by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
The EO 712, which was signed last March 11, was in response to the numerous transport organizations' complaints against the establishment of common transport terminals by the local government units (LGUs) in their respective jurisdiction, as well as the use of their own traffic citation tickets known as Ordinance Violation Receipts (OVR).
Other complaints include the rerouting schemes in violation of authorized routes as provided in the transport organizations' respective certificates of public convenience issued by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), and the enactment of various ordinances which result in additional cost to operators and drivers like the mandatory purchase of stickers and driver's identification cards.
The EO 712 directs "the immediate review of existing orders, rules and regulations issued by LGUs concerning public transportation, including the grant of franchises to tricycles, establishment and operation of transport terminals, authority to issue traffic citation tickets, and unilateral rerouting schemes of public utility vehicles, and for other purposes."
The EO also directs the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to suspend "the establishment and operation of new and existing transport terminals that charge fees and require compulsory use by public utility vehicles (PUVs)."
The Malacañang directive is seen to adversely affect the operation of the San Fernando Terminal.
But in an interview with City Administrator Fer Caylao, he said the law does not affect the continued operation of the terminal. "This is a public need," Caylao stressed stating that the terminal "is not compulsory."
"They (drivers) have the choice to use it or not. However, they could not just load and unload people in places not allowed by the City Government. This is where the terminal comes in," Caylao said in the vernacular, adding that the issue had been forwarded to the city's legal department for a formal legal statement.
Other salient features of the EO include the suspension of the following:
* Re-routing schemes that violate the authorized routes as provided for in the PUV franchises.
*Issuance of new tricycle franchises while respecting those that have been issued already.
*Increase in local fees and charges applicable to public transportation.
*Implementation of local programs, projects and ordinances that have impact on the cost of operations of PUVs without first coordinating and getting the approval of the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) to ensure that these programs, projects and ordinances do not prejudice public interest by way of higher transport fares.
The EO 712 also ordered the DILG to establish and implement "uniform truck ban hours that shall be applicable to LGUs located in a common area nationwide."
The EO also noted that the transport organizations "have also objected to the continuous issuance of new franchises for the operation of tricycles and pedicabs despite the existence of too many units already operating on the road, and the unsynchronized truck ban resulting in the delay in the delivery of goods."
In signing the EO, President Arroyo stressed that "the operations of PUVs is imbued with paramount public interest, such that factors that increase the cost of operations of PUVs that have a direct impact on transport fares, hence local ordinances, programs and projects which require a fee should be coordinated with the DOTC to ensure that public interest is not prejudiced."
