Mandaue PUJs ok to enter Manalili

CEBU, Philippines - Drivers of Mandaue City jeepneys and their passengers bound for Cebu City have a very good reason to rejoice as the City Traffic Operations Management (CITOM) board has decided to open V. Gullas (Manalili) Street to them.

CITOM executive director Atty. Rafael Yap said public utility jeepneys from Mandaue such as those bearing route numbers 21D, 22D, and 21A are again allowed to pass V. Gullas St. effective this Monday.

Yap said they lifted the ban because they are taking into consideration the policy pronouncement by the respective Local Government Units on the necessity of the vehicles to ply the street and enter the city, particularly in V. Gullas, which used to be called Manalili St.

This was agreed upon during the CITOM board meeting with Mayor Michael Rama last Monday.

Yap emphasized that they are only allowing the jeepneys to resume to their old route in Manalili, this after hearing “disturbing pronouncements” from drivers proposing five other new routes in Cebu City.

“To avoid complaints from other units na nakig-kompetensya sa ilaha, we’re just going to put you back on your old route via Manalili,” Yap said.

Yap said they may have allowed Mandaue-Manalili route PUJs to resume plying their old route, but this will be done gradually.

“We have conditions for them,” he said.

The CITOM board is requiring the drivers to secure a CITOM driver’s identification card and a travel line as requirements to ply the route again.

To get the CITOM ID, Yap said the driver should submit a 2x2 photo, a photocopy of their driver’s license, and a copy of the certificate of registration and official receipt of the vehicle.

   For the travel line, the operator has to submit a certificate of public convenience.

But one thing that started the entire discussion, Yap said were the complaints that they have received about Mandaue jeepneys using the route, particularly in front of Patria Dormitory across the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, as terminal to pick up passengers.

“We hope that the operators will exercise discipline sa ilang own drivers to observe order in the streets. Loading and unloading lang ta diha para dili traffic. Di ta magpaugat,” he said.

Yap said they will only accommodate the Mandaue PUJs and would not yet cater to requests from those coming from other areas outside of Cebu City.

Yap also clarified that Osmeña Blvd. remains off limits to the Mandaue jeepneys.

“That (allowing Mandaue PUJs at Osmeña Blvd.) will take some time because that one has already been set by the ordinance (City Ordinance 1837). We need to amend the ordinance,” he said.

Ereniamae Sayson, a resident of Cebu City who works in a factory in Mandaue City, told The FREEMAN how happy she was of the development.

“Sauna ka-tulo ko musakay apan tungod ana, kaduha na lang ko musakay og jeep. Dako na kaayo na og tabang kay gawas nga naka-save ko, dili na pud ko mahago pag-ayo,” she said.

The ban of jeepneys in Manalili St. has sparked suspicions from Mandaue City officials that the Cebu City government is getting back at Mandaue City for blocking garbage trucks from Cebu City, on their way to dump garbage in the town of Consolacion.

Yap has earlier denied the said allegation.

Jonas elated

Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes said that he is happy with this latest development.

Cortes said that he considered such as the result of “fruitful discussions” between him, CITOM board chairman Jack Jakosalem and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board-7 Director Ahmed Cuizon.

 “Result ni sa panagtagbo namo ni Jack ug ni Ahmed. Pasalamat ko nga gipaminaw ko nila isip maoy nagdala sa tingog sa mga driver,” Cortes said.

The mayor said that he hopes the jeepney drivers would also comply with their part of the agreement, which is to follow traffic laws. — with Flor Z. Perolina/NLQ (FREEMAN)