Apprehension of buses becomes 'political issue'

It would have been just another traffic stop, but since it is the election season, the apprehension of four buses owned by the Cebu City government in the town Barili became a political issue.

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña has accused Governor Gwendolyn Garcia of ordering the police to apprehend the buses donated by the City of Kaohsiung, Taiwan carrying children from the different barangays here to their summer camp in the town of Badian.

Garcia’s camp has denied the accusation, but her spokesman, Rory Jon Sepulveda is now asking the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to look into the buses.

The Kaohsiung buses, reportedly, were being operated sans registration documents and they were also decorated with pictures of the city officials, who are also candidates in the May 10 elections.

Osmeña said that somebody told him that the governor personally saw the fleet of Kaohsiung buses going to the south yesterday morning and quickly ordered Cebu police provincial director Erson Digal to apprehend them because the buses do not have license plates.

   There were 12 Kaohsiung buses used by the 600 children coming from the Cebu City barangays, but only four of the buses were apprehended by the Barili town police, because the eight others had already passed the town when they set up the checkpoint.

   Digal, however, denied that it was the governor who ordered the apprehension of the city-owned buses, because according to him it is in line with their campaign against unregistered vehicles throughout the province.

   The police official, however, admitted that he was with the governor in going to Moalboal town also yesterday morning.

   “Trabaho ra g’yod ning amo. Dili man usab mahimo nga dakpon namo ang ubang sakyanan nga walay rehistro unya pasagdan ra namo ang Kaohsiung buses abi kay iya kini sa City of Cebu,” Digal told The FREEMAN.

   According to Digal the drivers of the buses failed to present the vehicles’ registration papers when the policemen asked them to present the documents.

   It prompted the policemen to confiscate the licenses of the four drivers and issued them a Temporary Operator’s Permit (TOP) that will allow them to continue to operate a vehicle for three days.

Osmeña’s wife Margot, the chairperson of the Cebu City Commission for the Welfare of Children, said she was so worried because the children ate their lunch late after the policemen held the buses for more than an hour while waiting for the decision of the officials of the LTO in Carcar City whether the buses would just be released or impounded.

   “Nganong karon ra man sila manakop nga pirmi man kining mga Kaohsiung buses nga mobiyahe sa kalungsuran kon gamiton sa mga lubong bisan sa mga lumolupyo sa probinsya,” said Councilor Gerardo Carillo, action officer of the Commission for the Welfare of Children.

   The summer camp in Badian is aimed for the children to enjoy games, cultural presentations and an ecological tour.

   Lito Labiste of the City Hall’s property section confirmed that the four Kaohsiung buses that are among the 20 that were donated are still not registered, but they are already processing the documents for their registration with the LTO.

“Dugay man god ang pag-rehistro aning mga donated vehicles kay adto g’yod sa Manila kuhaa ang certificate of stock report. Sa 20 ka Kaohsiung buses, 11 pa lang ang nakuhaan namo og certificate of stock report og nabayran na kaniadtong Biyernes,” said Labiste. — with Jose P. Sollano/NLQ