Operators, drivers seek City Hall's help

CEBU, Philippines - Operators and drivers of Mandaue jeepneys trooped to Cebu City Hall yesterday and asked the help of the city government after they were banned from using the terminal in Ayala.

Drivers lamented their income decreased drastically in just three days because passengers reportedly refused to pay their fare since they were not taken to their destination.

Public Utility Jeepneys with route numbers 21B and 22B were barred from using the Ayala terminal since Saturday. They can only enter up to the Samar Loop at the Cebu Business Park and can no longer proceed to the Mindanao Loop towards the terminal of Ayala Center Cebu.

From the Samar Loop, the PUJs have to turn right to Cardinal Rosales Avenue, turn right to San Jose dela Montaña, turn left to M.J. Cuenco Avenue then proceed back to Mandaue City.

On the part of the passengers, this means they would have to walk for several meters from Cor. Cardinal Rosales Ave. and Samar Loop to the Ayala Mall.

Because Mayor Michael Rama is out of the country, the 50 drivers and operators met with City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete and City Traffic Operations Management (CITOM) Executive Director Rafael Christopher Yap yesterday.

The drivers and operators asked city officials to help them convince the management of Ayala to allow them to use the terminal for the meantime until such time that CITOM acts on their proposal for another route for Mandaue PUJs.

Armamento has proposed to allow 21B and 22B PUJs to ply the city streets up to the One Citilink Terminal in the south district. They did not propose a specific route and said they will let CITOM determine the same.

Poblete told drivers that they cannot control the traffic in the Cebu Business Park because it is a privately-owned property. All they can do, he said, is channel the request to the Ayala management.

Aside from jeepneys plying the 21B and 22B routes, Mandaue PUJs plying the 20 and 20A routes also travel to Cebu City, but were not banned because they were the original PUJs allowed at the terminal. Yap said Ayala barred the 21B and 22B PUJs to address the problem of congestion.

Romeo Armamento, spokesperson of the Alyansa sa mga Nagkahiusang Drivers Alang sa Reporma (ANDAR) and Mandaue United Drivers Association (MUDA) said there are about 300 21B and 22B PUJs using the terminal.

Meanwhile, Yap warned that the city will experience heavy traffic once the City Council will allow public utility vehicles from outside Cebu City to ply the city’s streets.

Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young asked the public to be more patient and to sacrifice a little for the benefit of those who would have to shoulder additional expenses when they take more rides to reach their destination in the city.

CITOM is yet to decide which portions of City Ordinance 1837 need to be amended. City Ordinance 1837 regulates the operations of PUJs or buses coming outside the city.

CITOM has strictly implemented the provisions of City Ordinance 1837 by apprehending the Mandaue -bound PUJ’s that continue to ply the city roads especially near the vicinity of the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral.

For his part, CITOM Chairman Sylvan Jakosalem said he is amenable to the proposal to amend some provisions of City Ordinance 1837, although the same has to be subjected to discussion by members of the CITOM Board.

Several parents of students complained to Young because their children were forced to take up to three rides just to reach their schools in the city. They said the situation is difficult for the children, especially during bad weather. - (THE FREEMAN)