Parking on national roads, illegal or not?

It will be one year on Wednesday after a strong earthquake hit  Bohol and other parts of Cebu at 7.2 in the Richter scale. It was the biggest tremor to hit Cebu. Indeed how time flies. I remember that day when at 8:12 AM, I was in my porch and suddenly my house shook so violently and for a long time, and my thoughts were focused on the tall buildings in my view that made me think that these could fall down. After the earthquake, I rode my motorcycle to check our buildings in Juana Osmeña and along Colon St. It was then that I saw that the belfry of the Sto. Niño Basilica had fallen down.

If there was any group that we consider as the first responders of last year’s earthquake, it was the All-Terrain Medical Response Organization. This organization was also the first responders during the February 6, 2012 Guihulngan Earthquake which was at magnitude 6.9 in the Richter scale that also shook us in Cebu. That quake too was unforgettable because ignorant Cebuanos ran from the downtown area all the way to the Marco Polo Hotel.

Tonight’s special guests are AMRO officials, led by its former president, Dr. Wyben Briones, its current president Jesselito “Dongie” Simporious, and Eligio “Boy” Balanag, Safety Officer of AMRO. One thing that AMRO did was take videos and photos of last year’s earthquake, which we will also feature on this show. So watch it in SkyCable’s channel 61 at 8:00PM and replays on Wednesday and Saturday at the same time. MyTV channel 30 will also replay the show on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7:00AM and 9:00PM respectively.

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A huge issue was played out by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in Central Visayas that urged the Local Government Unit  officials in Metro Cebu to be at the forefront of its campaign against illegal parking along the National and Provincial roads. LTFRB-7 Regional Director Ahmed Cuizon was correct when he said that illegally parked vehicles along national roads are one of the major causes of traffic in Metro Cebu especially during peak or rush hours.

So let’s get into the meat of this discussion and ask the poignant question whether it is legal or illegal for LGUs to make money by allowing Pay Parking in National or Provincial Roads. I’ve already written this before and I will write it again because Filipinos are just so forgetful!

Anyway, during our days at the Metro Cebu Development Program the project that widened the major thoroughfares of Metro Cebu, notably, B. Rodriquez, V. Rama Ave. the portion of the Banilad-Talamban Road from M.L. Quezon Ave. to Talamban proper and A.S. Fortuna Ave. and yes, the road link from P. del Rosario St. to M.J. Cuenco Ave. often called the New Road of which I was Road-Right-of-Way chairman it was agreed by the mayors of Metro Cebu that parking would not be allowed in all these roads. This pact has been violated mostly in Mandaue City.

A case in point is AS Fortuna Ave., where there is Pay Parking in that roadway. So the question is… is it legal or illegal for the City of Mandaue to allow Pay Parking on this national road? Of course it has been said that all roads in Mandaue City are owned by the City of Mandaue. But when it comes to fixing these roads, they agreed for the Department of Public Works and Highways to fix those roads, hence who should have authority on those roads? Perhaps DPWH should issue a clarification on whether Pay Parking should be allowed or not in AS Fortuna?

DPWH-7 Legal Chief Atty. Brando Raya says that national roads are under the jurisdiction of the DPWH and allowing parking in those roads is a violation of Presidential Decree No. 17, which criminalizes obstruction along national roads. So can we consider the Mandaue City Council members as criminals for violating this law? Sure you may laugh this off, but this brings the question whether we are still a nation of laws and not of men? Can Mandaue City make laws contrary to Presidential Decrees? That’s the question!

The City of Mandaue should sit down and look at the numbers. Sure, they make money by allowing Pay Parking along AS. Fortuna Ave. But it is obvious that the money it makes is miniscule as compared to the millions lost everyday due to traffic congestion! We’re calling on Mayor Jonas Cortes to come up with a study on the cost of traffic congestion and maybe he might just have the political will to revoke the Pay Parking on AS Fortuna Ave.

Meanwhile, we should scrutinize the work of the Office of the Building Officials in our respective cities. In these times when traffic has already become unbearable… we should consider it a crime if OBO allows a building to be constructed without any provisions for a parking space. I tell you, many homeowners whose areas are now considered commercial are violating this. Their homes have been turned into restaurants and their customers park along the main road. If this is happening…why were these establishments given a business permit to start with? Atangi! [email protected]