Firm operating in wrong barangay faces closure

CEBU, Philippines - A freight company in Barangay Looc, Mandaue City is facing closure after the city government found that it should have operated in another barangay based on its business permit.

The Mandaue City Legal Office inspected Philippine Multimodal Freight Services Inc. (PMFSI) on March 13 and discovered that the firm has been operating in Barangay Looc eventhough it is registered to operate in Barangay Alang-Alang.

In a March 13 Notice to Comply addressed to Anne Marie Louise Ugarte of PMFSI, City Legal Officer Omar Redulla cited the company for violating the city ordinance mandating new system and procedure for the processing, monitoring and evaluation and the issuance of business permits.

Redulla has directed the PMFSI to comply with the business permit requirements to operate in Looc within 30 days from receipt, otherwise the city government will be compelled to close the business.

As of yesterday, two days to the given deadline, the company has not complied with the requirements.

The cease and desist order is set to be served to the company tomorrow, April 13.

Last January, around 280 petitioners led by Dr. Danilo Dionson appealed to the City Council not to renew the permit of PMFSI, citing the bumpy road in their locality that was attributed to the firm's operations.

Residents based their opposition on the heavy traffic caused by the firm's 20- to 40- footer vans traversing a narrow street 20 to 30 times, damaging the cemented roads.

"We, the commuters, LTO clients, stakeholders and concerned residents of J.M. Ceniza Street, Looc, Mandaue City had suffered much inconveniences due to the operations of PMFSI-Looc Container Yard which is a public hazard," read the complaint-letter.

A letter dated January 25 signed by Louis Ugarte of PMFSI has informed Mandaue City Planning and Development Office acting chief Marlo Ocleasa that their lease for the area will expire on August 8 and that they were not keen on renewing it anymore.

Ugarte denied it was their trucks that caused road traffic in the area, blaming public trucks for the road congestion.

“The traffic caused there is due to the illegal parking in that area, the opening of eateries that reached the road area, the illegal construction of business without tax payments that build on the side of the road encroaching into the street which should be cleaned up, illegal parking of vehicles, motorcycles and tricycles in the side of the road,” read Ugarte’s letter.  —/JMD (FREEMAN)