Tricycles plod along a busy interior road in Cebu City. | CDN Digital File Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Councilor Philip Zafra said they are looking into transferring some tricycle terminals off national and secondary roads as these vehicles have caused obstruction to these roads.
Zafra said the move is still part of the road clearing directive of the Department of Interior and Local Governments (DILG) to reclaim the roads and remove obstructions.
Zafra, who represented Labella in a meeting with the police and other stakeholders of the road clearing, said that the tricycles have surfaced to be the new challenge in the road clearing operations.
The residents and vendors who used to be resistant to the clearing operations have been generally compliant in recent months making it easier for the city to fulfill the mandate.
On the other hand, the tricycles, a form of transportation common in the interior portions of the barangays, have been found using national and secondary roads as terminals contributing to the obstruction.
Zafra said that the city will not ask them to leave immediately per se, but will conduct dialogues with the barangays and the tricycle drivers on where they can be transferred.
“Ubay-ubay ni sila naa sa Tisa, Labangon, Captiol Site, naa sad dinha dapit sa Pasil area, Quiot, San Nicolas. More or less 10 ni sila kabuok barangay nga klaro nga naay nakaobstruct sa dalan,” said Zafra.
The city government will aim to achieve a win-win solution for the tricycle drivers so they will not be transferred too far from their usual routes.
The rest of January 2021 is being targeted by the city government to complete the transfer of these tricycle terminals.
As for the Prevention, Restoration, Order, Beautification, and Enhancement (PROBE) team, the agency said the clearing in the city’s barangays is now at 70 percent.
PROBE head Racquel Arce said that they are ready to assist barangays when necessary for the clearing of the roads and sidewalks. /rcg