Mandaue dad wants CO 1837 put off

CEBU, Philippines - After Cebu City decided to strictly reinforce an ordinance banning Public Utility Jeepneys from outside Cebu City from traversing its main thoroughfares, a Mandaue City councilor is set to ask the City Traffic Operations Management of Cebu City to temporarily suspend its implementation.

Mandaue City Councilor Elstone Dabon, who heads the committee on transportation of the Mandaue City Council said that he will be writing a letter to CITOM chairman Sylvan “Jack” Jakosalem today to ask for the suspension of the implementation of Cebu City Ordinance 1837.

CO 1837 bans intra-city PUJs from using the city’s main roads.

Dabon also said that next week after their Philippine Councilor’s League meeting in Olongapo City he will pass a resolution during their council’s session requesting the Cebu City Council to amend their traffic ordinance to allow Mandaue PUJs to pass their major thoroughfares.

“Ang kining ato igo ra ni paghangyo, at least masulbad-sulbad ginagmay ang kalisud,” Dabon said.

The councilor said that if the said ordinance will be fully implemented in Cebu City it will be inconvenient for the students and workers from either city who studies or works in the other city.

Sergio Villaver, a driver of the 21B route and a member of the Nagkahiusang Drivers sa Sugbu, said he fears that the move will lessen his earnings because he will only be picking passengers from Mandaue City up to the Ayala terminal only.

He said that he also doubts if all PUJs plying the 21B and 22B routes will be accommodated at the Ayala terminal since there are around 600 of them.

“Ang mahitabo ana mag-ilogay ug mag-away na mi tungod sa pasahero,” Villaver said.

Nacario Wilfredo, a driver who plies the 22B route, and a member of the Mandaue Operators and Drivers Association, also said that aside from a lesser income, he also feared that time will also come when they will only be allowed to travel from Mandaue City up to Innodata in Barangay Subangdaku which is the boundary for both Mandaue and Cebu City.

Marcelino Oporto, another driver of the 21B route, also said that it is unfair that they will also be penalized just because of last week’s traffic accident involving two PUJs from Mandaue City.

“Pagkadakong unfair ug illegal ilang gibuhat kay kini raba among prangkisa nga gi-isyu sa LTFRB, klaro ra ba kaayo nga nag-ingon nga makaagi mi og Jones ug way Ayala nga nakabutang sa among prangkisa,” Oporto said.

Last week 16 people were hurt after two jeepneys from Mandaue City collided along M. J. Cuenco Ave. in Cebu City. (FREEMAN)