The Cebu City riding public should weigh in and let their collective voice be heard on the proposed ordinance requiring public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers to settle their fines first before getting an identification card from the Cebu City Transportation Office.
It’s no surprise that transport groups like the militant Piston, the Visayan United Drivers Transport and Allied Services Cooperative (VUDTRASCO) and the National Union of Transport Workers
Union-Cebu chapter are adamantly against the payment of fines. They see it as yet another unjustified burden on their members, who have a hard time making ends meet.
Aside from the usual reasons of fluctuating prices of fuel and spare parts, the drivers groups want the city government to give them a break and be their advocate in asking transport agencies to rescind a national policy that imposes stiffer fines and penalties for traffic violations that many of their members have blatantly committed in their quest to land as much passengers possible, traffic congestion and public inconvenience be damned.
While VUDTRASCO recommended that filing cases against erring drivers was the solution rather than the payment of fines—and we all know just how long and slow these cases plod on in court—Piston recommended that the ID cards of drivers be sufficient enough for CCTO in identifying drivers who violate traffic laws.
While an argument can be made about that, the city government should make the CCTO-issued cards affordable for drivers. ID cards should not be a revenue earner for the city. These are intended to identify all drivers operating in Cebu City and nothing else.
In their position paper, the CCTO said the ID cards should have an effectivity date and an expiry date as well, which means the drivers would have to renew them periodically. But unless they are lost or tampered with, the Cebu City government should not see the issuance of ID cards as a way to earn money from drivers and operators.
Government-issued ID cards like Social Security System (SSS), Government Insurance Security System (GSIS) and even Pag-Ibig don’t require periodic renewal, though their cards have been renewed over the past few years in an effort to streamline public services.
A one-time fee is sufficient unless the cards are tampered with or are lost. At the same time, drivers and operators should accept that fines must be paid if it is clearly established that they violated traffic laws.
Operators and drivers groups should not expect the public to be understanding if they refuse to be held accountable for traffic violations that their members commit.
Nearly everyone, except for the privileged elite, works for a living. Livelihood is bound by laws. As providers of public service, the transport sector shouldn’t expect to be coddled.