Accessible transport at port area sought

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City Council has urged the Cebu Ports Authority (CPA) to set up accessible public transportation in the port area.

The council also urged the different concerned agencies to inspect and conduct operations against illegal practices of public transport drivers. This was prompted by a privilege speech of Councilor Rey Gealon last Wednesday.

Gealon, the city’s traffic czar, said the former mayor of Dipolog City, Edelburgo Cheng, lamented on the lack of accessible public transportation in the city ports.

 “Mayor Cheng lamented the inconvenience endured by elderly and vulnerable travelers like persons with disabilities, pregnant women and children, who disembark at the ports and have to walk a considerable distance outside the port facilities in order to avail of public transport,” said Gealon.

Gealon said that there is even no orderly passenger terminal outside the port area.

“Taxis arrive sporadically and in times of scarcity, passengers have to pay outrageous pakyaw rates to unscrupulous drivers who take advantage of the lack of public transport terminal to cater to passengers arriving in the ports,” Gealon said.

He said that the CPA has the duty to provide and maintain port facilities such as passenger terminals as required by its charter, Republic Act 7621.

Under the CPA charter, the port facility shall include wharves, piers, slips, docks, bulkheads, basins, warehouses, cold storage, loading and unloading equipment, and passenger terminals and accessories.

Seaports are public utilities that must always be at the service of the public who have the legal right to demand and receive its services. According to Gealon, CPA is expected to provide facilities that will ensure an integrated and seamless service to passengers from the time they arrive in the ports until their departure for their ultimate destination.

The lack of passenger terminal in the ports for the convenience of the riding public is a grave disservice, Gealon said.

The City Council has agreed that acting Mayor Raymond Garcia should talk to CPA to restore the old transport provision scheme in the terminal frontage for passengers.

The CPA has also been urged to provide accessible public transport inside the port while directing the CCTO enforcers to manage traffic in the premises outside the port area and the TEU - CCPO to conduct operations on illegal practices of public transport drivers.

PNP-HPG is also urged to conduct massive operations against PUV drivers employing illegal practices.

The LTO is likewise urged to conduct random inspection and subsequent apprehension, if needed, on PUV drivers plying the pier area, preying upon hapless passengers while the LTFRB had been urged to suspend or revoke the franchise of these PUVs, if found to be engaged in illegal practices. –FPL (CEBU NEWS)