NO LIFTING of the truck ban even for the holidays.
In response to the letter penned by the League of Associations at La Trinidad Vegetable Trading Area in Benguet asking the city government to lift the truck ban, Mayor Mauricio Domogan asked the group to submit additional list of trucks for the possible exemption from the ban.
The letter asks for the mayor to lift the ban from December 20 to 31 to allow swift delivery of highly perishable local goods to the consumers.
“Please be informed that we have already accommodated 60 trucks from your organization exempted from the truck ban which is being implemented from 6 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 9 p.m.,” said the mayor.
The chief executive added he has given the authority to Baguio City Traffic Management Bureau head Police Chief Inspector Oliver Panabang to discuss the matter.
“I didn’t approve because they were given exemption before accounting 60 including cut flowers. Now, with the previous meeting, I advised them that I cannot approve and lift the truck ban because even though they will be given the chance it is still precedent to other truckers,” says Panabang following a meeting of the Baguio City Police Office and the league on December 18.
“As I told them, and the mayor despite the truck ban pass that were given to them, we can have strategies during the height of demand,” says the police officer citing solution of giving the truckers temporary exemption and alternate route for trucks to pass through Asin Road to Suello village.
Since the implementation of the ordinance, the police officer has given a positive note on its effect as it lessen trucks traversing the central business district during rush hour.
“Until the ordinance is fixed, if there needs to, we cannot just lift the truck ban as it is an ordinance and at the same time, that is why an ordinance was created to lessen volume of trucks during rush hours,” Panabang added.
In a letter by the league last week, it underscored in its request the month of December as peak season of the vegetable industry and a time that farmers hope to sell most of their produce.
“These vegetables from Benguet and nearby vegetable producing provinces supplies key markets as far as Batanes, Palawan and General Santos City,” stated the letter of the league with different associations comprised stakeholders of the vegetable industry.