Gov to issue order regulating sugarcane haulers

CEBU, Philippines - Governor Gwendolyn Garcia will issue an executive order defining the rules that sugarcane-hauling trucks should follow starting April 1, otherwise, they will be sanctioned.

In the said order, sugarcane-hauling trucks that violate the agreed truck dimensions and safety measures set by both the Cebu Provincial government and the sugarcane planters and haulers association will be apprehended and sanctioned accordingly.

Garcia will also endorse the said executive order to the Provincial Board for the legislative body to approve an ordinance on the matter.

The provincial government will also form a special unit from Team Eskina of the Cebu Anti-Illegal Fishing Task Force which will focus on monitoring these trucks.

Team Eskina is tasked to apprehend haulers of illegally caught fish, quarry materials and coal. The members of the team were also deputized by the Land Transportation Office-7 to apprehend violators of the 13.5 tons per axle national highway load limit.

The special unit will be augmented with personnel from the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO), Highway Patrol, Land Transportation Office and the 78th Infantry Battalion.

CPPO Police Director Patrocinio Comendador said that the move of the Provincial Government is “very timely and appropriate.”

“We strongly support the initiatives of the Cebu Provincial Government. Likewise, we are duty bound to implement existing traffic rules and regulations,” said Comendador.

The Sugarcane Planters Association was given a month to change their truck sidings, place tarpaulins to cover the load and chop off protruding canes so they will not pose hazards to other road users.

Early this month, Garcia met with the Sugarcane Planters Association to address issues on traffic hazards and the cleanliness of Cebu’s highways.

This is after Garcia received complaints regarding the hazards posed to motorists by sugarcanes protruding from trucks. Furthermore, she said dirt from the trucks affect efforts of the local government units for the Expanded Green and Wholesome Environment that Nurtures (eGWEN) highway competition of the Provincial Government. — (FREEMAN)