Approval of new PUV terminals stalled sans accreditation body

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City Council is urging the office of Mayor Michael Rama to reconvene the Terminal Accreditation Committee in order to go after terminals around the city that have been operating without permit.

Cebu City Councilor , in his approved resolution, mentioned that this is necessary to regulate operations of terminals in the city.

According to Garganera, it was around the pandemic time when the committee no longer convened.

The Cebu City Terminal Accreditation Committee was created by virtue of City Ordinance No. 1958 entitled, "An Ordinance Regulating the Establishment of and Operation of Terminals for Public Utility Jeepneys and V-Hire vehicles in the City of Cebu".

The committee is primarily tasked to coordinate, monitor and evaluate the establishment of public utility s (PUJ) and v-hire terminals within the city.

Aside from this, the committee is also tasked to review and approve applications for the issuance of certificate of accreditation for the establishment of PUJ and v-hire terminals in accordance with the ordinance.

In an interview yesterday, Feb. 4,2023, Garganera said they observed that there are terminals in the city illegally operating and have sprouted all over, some becoming a contributing factor to the traffic congestion.

"And the point also is the city is not earning because they are illegal," said Garganera.

He disclosed that there were a number of terminal permit applications submitted to the city government, but applications were denied since one of its requirements is an accreditation from the Cebu City Terminal Accreditation Committee.

In the absence of the committee's approval, there is no movement on the process hence existing terminals are considered illegal.

This resolution allows the reactivation of the said committee in order to comply with the requirements indicated in the ordinance.

When asked why the committee has stopped convening, Garganera said he doesn't have any idea on the matter. He said he only knew of this when he was informed that an application failed to move forward since there was no committee to act on it.

In line with this, Garganera's resolution urges the Office of the Mayor to convene the Cebu City Terminal Accreditation Committee to continually regulate and approve applications for accreditation of PUJ and v-hire terminals.

Once reconvened, Garganera said terminals illegally operating shall face closure. (CEBU NEWS)