City councilor: Impounded PUJs are now deteriorating

The Mandaue public utility jeepneys that the Cebu City government had impounded in a lot at the north reclamation area are already deteriorating, councilor Joey Daluz III said yesterday.

Daluz went to the impounding area yesterday morning with City Traffic Operations Management executive officer Arnel Tancinco to check on the condition of the vehicles, upon orders of Vice Mayor Michel Rama.

The councilor is set to read and submit his report and recommendation during the council session tomorrow.

This early, Daluz commented that while the impounding area is fenced it has no roofed structure to shelter the vehicles, which are inevitably exposed to natural elements like rain and sun thus causing them to deteriorate.

"Actually, it is not theft that threatens the vehicles but deterioration," Daluz said, adding that other impounded private vehicles there have shared the same condition.

Vice Mayor Rama was earlier concerned that the vehicles impounded at the area might be damaged and have deteriorated already.

Last September, operators and drivers of the impounded Mandaue jeepneys sued enforcers of Citom for damages and asked the court to issue a writ of preliminary mandatory injunction, all for illegally impounding their vehicles.

The court has ruled in favor of the drivers and operators but the city government in turn moved for reconsideration.

While the latter's motion is still pending, however, Vice Mayor Rama said that the least but the best the city could do would be to ensure that the impounded vehicles would not deteriorate while in custody of the city government.

The Mandaue jeepney drivers meanwhile met with councilor Sylvan Jakosalem yesterday to discuss the progress of their case and on the actions of the council on the matter.

Jakosalem, committee on transportation chairman, told the group that the council has been waiting for a copy of the court's order to release the impounded vehicles.

Antonio Pogado, chairman of the Nagkahiusang Drayber sa Sugbu, said the vehicles should be released as soon as possible because further delay would result in greater damage to their jeepneys.

"The fact that the operators are paying storage fee of P300, the city government should be responsible to safe-keep the vehicles and maintain their good condition. But look at the state of the vehicles now, they are like being thrown into a garbage dumping ground," he said. - Wenna A. Berondo/RAE