CEBU CITY is thinking of raising penalties for some traffic violations to P3,000.
Mayor Tomas Osmeña hopes this will partially address the city’s worsening traffic situation.
Now, if Cebu City Transportation Office operations head Francisco Ouano had his way, he would implement the new rate immediately.
Surprisingly, many support the plan. Well, okay, two.
It was expected of City Councilor Dave Tumulak. I mean, when it comes to Dave, whatever Tommy wants, Tommy gets. We all know that.
“Let’s amend the penalties because that’s what our mayor wants and he is the city’s chief executive,” was what he said in Cebuano. Roughly translated, that is.
But not many of you probably know that the councilor, last March, also sponsored an ordinance raising traffic fines from P500 to P1,000.
Hey, Dave deserves a pat on the back. The guy’s very hardworking. Not only that, he kowtows to the mayor’s every whims and caprices. Heck, he’s raring to sponsor another ordinance to raise traffic fines.
Meanwhile, Jericho Mari Jumapao, chairman of the Cebu Integrated Transport Service Cooperative, also believes the plan will help solve the city’s traffic problem.
In fact, he said he always reminds his drivers to follow traffic rules to avoid paying fines and causing traffic.
Good for him. Maybe he should talk to Richard Cabucos, Metro Cebu Taxi Operators Association president.
Cabucos thinks P3,000 is too much for public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers who can hardly make ends meet at the end of the day.
He said the current P1,000 fine already serves as a clear warning to drivers not to commit traffic violations. But if the City insists on implementing the new rate, he said it should only impose it on drivers of private vehicles.
Then Cabucos goes on to blame some passengers for forcing his drivers to break traffic laws.
Well, he has a point there. Sort of. But let me also point out that drivers always have a choice. They can pick up a hailing passenger or drop off a passenger in front of a “no stopping” sign. Or not. It’s really that simple.
But this is what usually happens--and I should know since I sometimes take public transportation when I’m not walking --if you tell the driver, in this case of a jeepney, that you want to get out, he’ll tell you “at the jeepney stop.” Which is right about fair. But why is that when he sees a prospective passenger, he stops right there and there? Even in the middle of the road.
PUV drivers can’t have it both ways.
Cabucos, who is using the poverty card, should realize that it’s a matter of road discipline. Shame on him.