Tomas wants end to confiscation of trisikad sidecars

CEBU, Philippines - If Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña has his way he wants the city council to amend the city’s existing ordinance that allows for the confiscation of the sidecars of trisikads once they are apprehended for operating in non-designated areas.

Councilor Jose Daluz III said he was tasked to propose that City Ordinance 2184 will be amended to scrap out the particular portion of the ordinance that states that once a trisikad is confiscated the sidecar will be detached from the unit and forfeited in favor of the city.

Many trisikad drivers and operators have asked Daluz and other city officials to allow them to take back their whole units and they are willing to pay the P1,000 fine if they are caught operating in areas they are not allowed.

“Nalooy tingali ang mayor kay panginabuhian man god tawon ang habal-bahal sa uban mao nga kon imbargohon ang ilang sidecar tabla ra og ato silang gikulban sa kaldero,” Daluz explained.

The records showed that it was Daluz himself who seconded to the proposal of councilor Raul Alcoseba last April that the sidecar of the trisikad will be seized in favor of the government during its confiscation.

Alcoseba explained that his move is intended to curb the activities of some trisikad operators who insist on operating in non-designated areas that usually cause traffic congestions, particularly if they drive against the flow of traffic.

The previous ordinance, before it was amended through the efforts of Alcoseba, also provides for the forfeiture of the trisikad’s sidecar, but only after the third offense.

The existing ordinance imposes a P500 penalty for every violation such as no registration, no plate numbers, no lamp or red reflectorized mirror at the rear and P1,000 for operating in non-designated places.

Usually, the trisikads are strictly banned from roads where public utility vehicles are plying so they will not contribute to traffic congestion, but some of the trisikad drivers insist on using main roads.

Some trisikad drivers even allegedly race with speeding motor vehicles and on some occasions drive against the traffic flow.

The trisikad operators are required to redeem their apprehended units not later than 30 days from the date of apprehension, otherwise these will be forfeited in favor of the government.

Hundreds of trisikads remain unclaimed in the city’s impounding area. – Rene U. Borromeo/BRP (THE FREEMAN)