City denies barring v-hires from returning to Citilink

CEBU, Philippines – Cebu City’s legal arm countered allegations that the city government has hampered vans-for-hire from returning to One Citilink Terminal that the mayor ordered closed over three months ago.

In its report, the City Legal Office cited the accounts of the Cebu City Transportation Office, which has been facilitating the temporary terminal for v-hires at the port area near the City Hall.

“According to the CCTO, no driver has been prohibited from going back to the Citilink terminal and that some drivers even actually went back to the Compania Maritima area,” reads the report drafted by City Attorney Jerone Castillo dated October 28, 2015.

The report was in response to queries of the City Council in line with a letter from Alomuel Corre Jr., one of the v-hire drivers and operators who asked the city to return to One Citilink.

Corre expressed that the Compania Maritima premises are not suitable for terminal operations and that the current set-up has been affecting their income.

However, CCTO believes that the v-hire drivers and operators have the decision to whether or not stay at the temporary terminal.

“According to the CCTO, neither the CCTO nor any official of the Cebu City Government ordered these drivers to go back to the Compania Maritima area, and the drivers that continue to use the Compania Maritima area are their voluntarily and based on their own volition,” Castillo’s report reads.

Before Corre aired out his formal request to the Council, some v-hire dri-vers and operators actually showed their defiance by holding a caravan in returning to One Citilink Terminal in N. Bacalso Avenue following the issuance of a court order in favor of the Citilink management.

The court order was issued in line with the civil case filed by One Citilink Terminal, Inc against the city government over the latter’s alleged illegal closure.

The City Legal Office, on the other hand, recently filed a motion for reconsideration on the order of Regional Trial Court Presiding Judge Generosa Labra who granted the injunctive writ in favor of the Citilink management despite a motion for inhibition filed against her.

Even with the injunctive order, the City Legal Office asserted that the One Citilink Terminal still cannot be allowed to operate since it was not able to secure a newly-issued business permit.

“In accordance with our laws and ordinances, therefore, One Citilink Terminal cannot be allowed to operate a terminal for a fee. Otherwise, we shall be guilty of acting with partiality in favor of One Citilink Terminal when we do not allow all other entities without business permit to operate a business,” the report reads.

Due to permit violations, operation at One Citilink was shut down on July 28, 2015 upon Rama’s order.

A few days later, Rama accommodated the v-hires near Compania Maritima, the ownership of which is also in contention. —/JMO (FREEMAN)