Cebu City government to continue apprehending unregistered trucks, trailers

Leoncio Cubarol Jr., president of the Visayan United Truckers Association, says they will encourage their members to register their trailers. | Irene R. Sino Cruz

CEBU CITY— The Cebu City government will continue to implement regulations in trucks and trailers despite request for moratorium by a truckers group.

“We urged them to register their truck trailers in compliance with law, especially now that LTO (Land Transportation Office) has already streamlined the registration requirements for their benefit,” Cebu City Attorney Rey Gealon told CDN Digital.

Gealon met with the members of the Visayas United Truckers Association Inc. (VUTAI) on Monday afternoon (November 11).

The association has sought a moratorium of Mayor Edgardo Labella’s order to impound trucks and trailers that are illegally operating in  Cebu City.

Read more: Labella orders crackdown on illegal trucks, trailers

The association has 60 members with a combined fleet of 800 trucks and over 1,000 trailers.

In a letter addressed to the mayor, the group’s officers led by it’s president, Leoncio Cubarol Jr., maintained that their members were operating legally registered trucks and tractor heads.

“The area or concern, however, is the trailers towed by the tractor heads because some of our members have only substantially complied with the registration of these trailers,” the group admitted.

Meanwhile, Labella had directed Gealon to study this group’s request since it involved traffic and existing laws.

“I think these laws (regulating the operation of trucks and trailers) have been there for so many months, years, nganong karon ra man sila morequest (why do they make the request only now?),” the mayor said.

Gealon said the mayor preferred that the Sangguniang Panglungsod be informed about truckers’ concern.

“The mayor believes that the Sangguniang Panglungsod (should ) be apprised about it considering that this pertains to an ordinance, of which it is the sangganunian that has jurisdiction to amend particular provisions of an ordinance that relates to their concern,” he said.

Meanwhile, Cubarol said they would urge their members to comply with the law and register their trailers before using these in their operations.

Cubarol said they would have to pay up at least P16,000 for the registration of each trailer.

He added that they would be submitting a position on their other concerns to the city council./dbs