Cuenco seeks more time before entry of Talisay City jeepneys to Cebu City

A traffic officer stands on guard in a border checkpoint in Barangay Bulacao in Talisay City in this June 2020 photo.

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Councilor James Cuenco, the head of the city’s Jeepney Task Force, is asking Talisay City to wait for a while for their jeepneys to enter the city as before.

Cuenco said he received a letter from Talisay City Mayor Gerald Anthony Gullas requesting that the 41D and 42D routes of jeepneys from Talisay City to Cebu City be allowed entry along with the return of the jeepneys here.

Talisay City has already called on jeepney operators to register with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) in a one-stop-shop starting November 5, 2020, at the City Hall compound.

Talisay city promised that their jeepneys will follow the health protocols and the policies of Cebu City.

However, Cuenco said that because the Balik Pasada Program is still under evaluation even when the jeepneys begin to ply the streets, the city cannot guarantee a sustained entry yet.

With this, he is asking Gullas to wait for at least two weeks after the Cebu City jeepneys ply again before the Talisay City jeepneys may enter through the Natalio Bacalso Highway.

“I told them pwede unta, pero wala paman gud na roll out atong mga jeepneys diri. Gae lang mig two weeks, after nagply na ta pasulodon na nato sila, but not before that,” said Cuenco.

(I told them we want to, but then our own jeepneys have not been rolled out yet. Give us two weeks, when our jeepneys are plying the streets, we will allow them, but not before that.)

One of the major concerns of the task force is the apprehension of the police over the idea of the return of the jeepneys. Police Brigadier General Albert Ignatius Ferro said in previous statements that the move was risky.

As much as Cuenco assured the police general that all jeepneys that would be allowed to ply the streets would be compliant with the health protocols, he also wants time to evaluate the program.

Mayor Edgardo Labella also said that if the jeepney operators fail to be compliant with health protocols, or a significant rise in the cases will be observed upon the return of the jeepneys, the program will be suspended immediately.

For now, Cuenco said that the one-stop-shop registration will begin next week after the pre-registration is completed this week.

In the second week of November, jeepneys will begin rolling out immediately as soon as they get approved /rcg.