From Sunstar:
‘Street fight’ brewing between 2 cities
ALL public utility jeepneys (PUJ) from Mandaue City will now be banned from entering major thoroughfares in Cebu City.
City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) executive director Atty. Rafael Yap yesterday said they will no longer allow Mandaue jeepneys plying Manalili St. to enter the city.
In an interview yesterday, Yap explained they have received a lot of complaints, which have reached the Office of the Mayor.
A Mandaue City official sees a different reason behind the ban.
Lawyer James Abadia, Mandaue City administrator, described it as a “knee-jerk reaction” to the plan to keep other cities’ garbage trucks from entering Mandaue’s streets.
He urged the Cebu City Government to reconsider their decision.
Last year, Citom already banned the entry of 21B jeepneys in the city. These jeepneys used to travel on Osmeña Blvd. The ban followed after a 21B jeepney collided with a taxi and hit another jeepney (21D), causing injuries to several passengers.
This time, the Mandaue jeepneys that will now be prohibited from entering Cebu City are those on routes
21A, 21D, and 21G, as well as 22A, 22D and 22G. They will only be allowed to load and unload passengers at the Cebu North Bus Terminal.
Regarding the complaints, Atty. Yap pointed out that some Mandaue jeepneys have been using areas in Patria de Cebu and Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral as terminals.
Yap showed a text message from one of the complainants: “Grabe magpaugat ang Mandaue nga mga jeep. Mga constituents nimo mohangyo nga sulbaron ninyo ang problema (The Mandaue jeepneys cause so much trouble. Your constituents appeal to you to solve this problem).”
Citom board chairman Sylvan “Jack” Jakosalem added that the Mandaue jeepneys are causing traffic by using Patria de Cebu and the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral as terminals.
Asked why they chose to implement the new policy now, Yap said they wanted to make sure first that the ban on the 21B jeepneys was properly implemented.
Yap said the Cebu City Government is not getting back at Mandaue City for blocking garbage trucks from Cebu City, on their way to dump garbage in the town of Consolacion.
“Absolutely, it’s an unrelated issue. To set the record straight, we have been receiving complaints (about Mandaue jeepneys) before this ban on garbage trucks from Cebu City,” he said.
Jakosalem also said they have not allowed the entry of Mandaue jeepneys on Manalili St. since last month.
“We intensified our operation last month because of the so many complaints from the motorists,” he said.
Despite the new policy, Yap assured the riding public will not be cut off as they can still use alternative routes.
Those coming from Mandaue City can take 01K, 10H and 12 jeepneys, once they reach the North Bus Terminal, to proceed to the city proper.
Those who want to go to Mandaue City, Yap said, can take 10H and 12I jeepneys in going to the North Bus Terminal.
The ban on the Mandaue jeepneys plying Manalili St. is in line with City Ordinance (CO) 1837, as amended by City Ordinances 2071 and 2214.
The ordinance bans inter-city jeepneys, particularly the Mandaue City PUJ’s, from plying major thoroughfares of Cebu City and limits them to loading and unloading passengers in load and unload passengers in designated terminals.
Abadia said: “It may not be an act of vengeance, as Cebu City claims, but it comes too close for comfort.”
In an interview yesterday, Abadia clarified the ban on garbage trucks from Mandaue City did not just target the Cebu City Government, but also other local governments and private firms who plan to dump their garbage in Consolacion.
They implemented the order days before the Cebu City Government was scheduled to fully close the Inayawan dumpsite. (The closure has since been deferred.)
While he said the Mandaue City Government will not be affected by Cebu City’s recent order, Abadia worries that jeepney drivers and passengers might suffer.
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Pagkahasol naman lang gyod pra sa mga tga Mandaue ani..wla na 1ride padong sto. Nino
Mandaue jeepneys will now be prohibited from entering Cebu City..!
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