“We will implement the law but we will temper it with mercy.”
That is the stand of Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña on the operation of motorcycle-for-hire in the city despite the earlier statement of Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade that the habal-habal is illegal and should not be allowed to operate on the streets.
Osmeña said habal-habal is an accepted practice in the city especially in the mountain barangays where it is one and sometimes the only mode of public transportation.
“Yes, it is not allowed but what we are trying to do is that we are trying to put some order,” he said.
Osmeña said it is better to regulate it to provide better service to the riding public.
He also claimed that it is not the city’s job to run after habal-habal drivers. He said that if the Department of Transportation (DOTr) can provide the city with at least 500 traffic enforcers, then it will be possible.
Osmeña said his obligation is to the people of Cebu and that the city’s traffic enforcers will not focus on violations committed by two-wheeled vehicles.