Liloan town centralizes traffic of public utility vehicles

CEBU, Philippines -  The Municipal Council of Liloan passed an ordinance establishing an Integrated Public Transport Terminal at the new Panphil B. Frasco Public Market in Barangay Jubay.

Under the ordinance, all public utility vehicles, garage terminal units and public utility buses servicing the Liloan-Cebu City, Mandaue City, Lapu-Lapu City, and Danao City routes and elsewhere shall load and unload at the integrated terminal enroute to their respective destinations.

The ordinance also covers tricycles and motorcycles for hire with Liloan franchise.

The ordinance says that the integrated terminal is established to promote the viability of the new public market by "providing easy access, promote safety and comfort to commuters while waiting for a ride, establish specific routes for all types of passenger or cargo vehicles and provide income opportunity to transport cooperative managing the terminal."

All passenger vehicles bound for Cebu City and elsewhere and all tricycles for hire franchised in Liloan town, as well as all single motorcycle shall park at their designated area at the terminal before proceeding to their respective destinations.

Public Utility Vehicles from Barangay Mulao and Cabadiangan shall park, load and unload cargoes and passengers also at their designated parking area at the terminal.

A terminal fee shall be collected for each type of passenger vehicle using the terminal facility as follows: P3 for motorcycles; P5 for tricycles; P10 for multicabs; P20 for public utility jeepneys; P30 for other public utility vehicles; P40 for Garage-Terminal Aircon Units; and P50 for Public Utility Buses.

In order to formalize the cooperation and collaboration effort between the municipal government and transfort cooperative chosen to manage the terminal, a Memorandum of Agreement detailing the manner of operation, maintenance and supervision thereof shall be crafted by a coordinating and working committee.

The committee will be headed by the mayor as chairperson and the chairman of the Council's committee on market and slaughterhouse as vice chairperson. The committee members will include the chairman of the Council's committee on labor and public service; market administrator; chairman of the transport cooperative; chairman of the tricycle federation and the head of the traffic police.

Any driver or operator violating the ordinance shall be issued a citation ticket and fined P500 for the first offense; P1,500 for the second offense and P2,500 for the third offense.

Succeeding offenses may entail imprisonment of 10 days or both fine and imprisonment at the discretion of the court.

The fines collected shall accrue to the account of market and slaughterhouse. – (FREEMAN)