THE Mandaue City Council approved on first reading the ordinance requiring drivers of public utility vehicles (PUVs) like public utility jeepneys (PUJs), tricycles, taxis and transportation network vehicle services to acquire clearance from the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue every year.

The ordinance’s author, City Councilor Jimmy Lumapas, said its aim is to discipline habitual traffic violators, particularly PUJ drivers.

Lumapas said he received a letter from a jeepney operator asking for help because one of the operator’s PUJ drivers had unpaid fines amounting to P18,000 for various traffic offenses since 2013.

If the ordinance is passed, operators will no longer be burdened with their drivers’ violation fees.

“Among i-require sa mga operators nga mangayo gyud sila og Team clearance sa ilang driver (We will require operators to ask their drivers for a Team clearance),” Lumapas said.

According to the ordinance, Team will issue the clearance at a fixed rate of P100 to applicants who don’t have traffic violation records at the Team office or who have paid their penalties in full.

“A public utility driver who shall not have a Team clearance in his custody after being flagged down over a particular traffic violation shall become subject of another violation and shall theretofore add a penalty in the citation ticket duly issued by the traffic personnel,” the ordinance states.

Those caught without a Team clearance will face an administration fine of P500 that will be paid at the City Treasurer’s Office.

Drivers of motorcycles-for-hire will also be required to secure Team clearance.

Once the ordinance is implemented, PUV drivers will have to present not only their driver’s license but also the Team clearance to the apprehending enforcer, Lumapas said.

Team head Florentino Nimor Jr., for his part, explained that the Team clearance is just like a barangay clearance or a National Bureau of Investigation clearance, among others. (KFD)