Drivers to City Hall: Check your vehicles first

Imposition of any fines will only be an added burden to drivers. And before Cebu City Hall sanctions drivers for emitting thick black smoke, it should inspect its own trucks first.

Greg Perez, Piston Cebu head, said City Hall officials should first look into its own vehicles especially garbage trucks before they start imposing fine on PUJ drivers.

Piston Cebu expressed opposition to the City Council’s plan to amend a Cebu City ordinance that imposes fines on vehicles emitting thick and black smoke.

“Lain na pud ni nga pas-anonon sa mga gagmay nga driver,” he told the Council.(This will be an added burden to the drivers.)

Perez and Atomic head Rudy Laconza spoke yesterday in a public hearing that the City Council arranged to hear public sentiments on Councilor Gerardo Carillo’s proposal to amend City Ordinance 2111. The ordinance imposes fines of P1,000 for first offense, P3,000 for second offense and P5,000 for third offense.

About 10 drivers and operators attended the public hearing inside the session hall.

“Wala pa gyud mi maka tagamtam ug ordinansahon nga para na sad sa mga drivers,” Laconza said. (We have yet to see a piece of legislation that would benefit the drivers.)

Carillo explained that he is not moving for an increase in fines, but only for a compromise payment of P2,000.

Drivers who would opt not to settle will be sued, he said. Fines of P3,000 to P5,000 and/or imprisonment of six months to one year may be imposed on drivers upon their conviction.

Still, Perez said the amendment will be an added burden to the drivers. He said drivers are already “overburdened” by the fines being imposed by the LTO-LTFBR Joint Administrative Order and do not need any fine-imposing city ordinance.

Laconza suggested on requiring drivers to render community service for their violations. He is also pushing for the grant of amnesty on drivers with unpaid and accumulated fines.

“Ang among ma kwarta gatos ra unya ang penalty thousand thousand. Daghan pa kaayo ang mananakop,” he said. (We only earn a hundred but penalties are by the thousands and there are many enforcers.)

Citom-initiated smoke emission testing, he said, is also a duplication of the annual smoke emission test required by the Motor Vehicle Inspection System (MVIS).

Lawyer Rafael Yap, head of the Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (Citom), said the anti-smoke emission ordinance does not single out PUJ drivers since this is also required for private vehicles.

He said that roadside emission testing is needed because the LTO smoke emission tests have been ineffective. Quoting a study by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Yap cited a rising level of black smoke and dust in city streets.

“It would be better for us to act now before we reach the danger zone,” he said.

Yap also cited data from the City Health Department which mentioned that cardiovascular and lung diseases are the leading causes of deaths among city residents.

Councilor Alvin Dizon told drivers that the proposal is intended to protect human health. He called on his colleagues to hold more consultations especially with the transport sector before submitting Carillo’s amendatory ordinance for final deliberation.

Councilors formed an adhoc committee chaired by Councilor Nestor Archival to conduct the series of consultation with the transport sector.