Tricycle drivers to Mandaue city gov’t: Scrap traffic violation fines or let us pay in installments

Call came as city government implements P500 cut in tricycle franchise renewal fee

The Mandaue City government has allowed a P500 cut in the franchise renewal fee of tricycles through an ordinance which has been implemented on July 3.  | CDN Digital FILE PHOTO

MANDAUE CITY, Philippines — Some tricycle drivers in Mandaue City are calling for the city government to scrap the fines for their traffic violations or allow them to pay the accumulated fines in installments so that they can renew their franchises.

The call came even after the city government implemented an ordinance lowering the renewal of franchise fee of tricycles-for-hire from P1,500 to P1,000.

Welcome development but…

Benerando Irmac, a tricycle-for-hire driver of Zone 1, said that the cut in the payment of franchise fee of a tricycle-for-hire was a welcome development and would help drivers or tricycle operators a bit.

However, some drivers would still find it difficult to renew their franchises because they had pending fines from traffic violations that they would need to pay to get a clearance from the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (TEAM).

Tricycle drivers, TEAM clearance

The TEAM clearance is one of the requirements for tricycle-for-hire drivers to be allowed to renew their franchises.

He said he hoped that the payment for pending violations would be scrapped or they would be allowed to pay the fines in installments.

“Sama nako, naa koy pending, pabaryun uroy ta og 20 mil o 10 mil, lisod para nako, molukat,” said Irmac.

(Like me, I have pending (violations), if we are asked to pay P20,000 or P10,000, then that will make it difficult for me to pay off the fines for the violation.)

Bigger chance to renew franchise

He said that allowing them to pay the traffic violation fines in installments would give tricycle drivers like him a bigger chance to avail of the new ordinance cutting the payment of a franchise renewal fee to just P1,000.

Irmac must have wanted something like the compromise agreement between the erring public utility drivers and the TEAM, where the former were allowed to only pay 60 percent of the fines outright and the remaining 40 percent of the fines would be paid in installments.

This compromise agreement between the TEAM and PUV drivers was implemented last year.

Cut in franchise renewal fee welcomed

Although some tricycle drivers like Irmac sought for more concessions from the Mandaue City government, still there are other drivers who welcomed the implementation of the ordinance lowering of the franchise renewal fee.

The ordinance was authored by City Councilor Jimmy Lumapas, the chairman of the Committee on Transportation, and was aimed to help tricycle drivers to really be able to renew their franchises. 

READ: Fuel prices slightly drop in Cebu gas stations as of July 4

Tricycle drivers welcome move

Lawyer John Eddu Ibañez, head of the City Legal Office (CLO), said that the ordinance to lower the franchise renewal fee of tricycles-for-hire was implemented starting July 3.

Tricycle driver Pabling Daip said that it was very timely because his franchise ws set to expire on July 21.

Daip said this could somehow help especially since their income had decreased due to fewer passengers riding tricycles and the increase in fuel prices.

“Maayo nuon niubos, salamat makaabot ko,” said Daip.

(It is good that it is lowered, thank you, I can now afford to pay it.)

Daip is assigned in zone 2 in barangays Opao and Umapad.

Tricycle-for-hire drivers and operators are encouraged to comply with necessary documents so that they would be able to operate with no problem.

READ: TEAM impounds 50 tricycles for operating without franchise, special permit

Tricycle drivers, colorum tricycles

Hyll Retuya, head of the TEAM’s legal and administration division, said that drivers whose tricycles were without a franchise or whose franchises were not renewed would be considered a colorum tricycle.

Retuya said that this would mean that if they would be flagged for a traffic violation, for instance, then the tricycle would be impounded.

Earlier, the Tricycle-For-Hire Franchising and Regulatory Board issued at least 1,570 new slots for tricycles through the Mandaue City Legal Office (CLO).

These slots were previously owned by some franchise holders who failed to apply for a renewal of their franchises. The total franchise holders are 2,500.

Reason for 1,570 new tricycle slots

“Actually gikan to sa call sa mga legitimate franchise holders. Nangutana ngano nga kami kada tulo ka tuig mokuha og franchise, very religious sa pagkuha og permit unya ang uban colorum, walay franchise,  wala gale lisensya niya (para) nakadagan,” he said.

(Actually, this came from the call of legitimate franchise holders. They have asked why when they have to get a franchise every three years and have religiously gotten a permitm, and yet other colorum (tricycles), without a franchise, and without even a license were still operating.)

“Atoang gibuhat, atoang gi-inventory ang franchise holders, so naa gyuy mga na-expire na ang permits, expired franchises nga muabot na gale og 5 years, so it’s unfair for those who have valid franchises,” he said.

(What we did, we inventoried the franchise holders, so there are really permits that have expired, expired franchises that even reached as far as five years, so it’s really unfair for those who have valid franchises.)

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