Osmeña won’t close V-hire terminal in Barangay Kamagayan

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña will allow the van-for-hire terminal in Barangay Kamagayan to continue to operate despite a request from the City Council to close it.

The mayor said the terminal has given the city at least P1.26 million in revenues since it started operating four months ago.

“My question is, to Team Rama, where were your collections? You rent it out as a parking lot, where’s the collections?” the mayor said.

During the administration of then mayor Michael Rama the area was used for pay parking.

Rama, in a phone interview, said his administration was eyeing two five-storey condominium buildings in the area – one for City Hall employees and the other is for the qualified residents of the barangay.

Rama said the area was temporarily used for parking but the city did not collect payment.

 “I think it was the barangay ang nag-oversee sa lugar,” Rama said.

Osmeña said the city started using the area as V-hire terminal last November 2016. A document presented to the media showed that the city government collected P163,530 in November; P446,540 in December; P350,175 in January; and P299,930 in February.

“As far as I’m concerned, even if it’s for free, as long as the people are happy, ok ra. But they are willing to pay, eh di collect. Government needs the money and it’s our property,” he said.

Osmeña said the previous administration should present the collection out of the parking fees.

“We have P300,000 every month. You want to see graft and corruption? You can’t see it. Now you see, how come there’s money, before there’s none?” he said.

He said he is willing to improve the terminal while it is being used by the V-hire drivers.

The mayor said several of the passengers in the terminal are working in Cebu City. If the city will not provide a terminal, he said people might look for a place where to squat in the city which would lead to another problem.

The opposition-dominated City Council earlier asked Osmeña to stop the "illegal" operation of the V-hire terminal in the barangay. (FREEMAN)