Why we need a Metro Cebu Traffic body

Yesterday I got a call from Rep. Raul del Mar who was with Rep. Tony Cuenco asking me what went wrong… why is Mayor Tomas Osmeña no longer supporting their proposed bill for a Metro Cebu Traffic Authority (MCTA)? Truth to tell, I really don't know what's on the mind of Mayor Osmeña because since I quit the Cebu City Traffic Operations and Management (Citom), we have not talked about traffic matters again.

First of all, I have always believed that good governance dictates that the government should consult with its constituents. So when I was running things at Citom I felt that before we started, we should feel the pulse of the players in the industry and that's exactly what happened when we held the 1st Metro Cebu Traffic Summit on Oct. 2001 under the auspices of the City of Cebu and co-sponsored by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI). You cannot find a more comprehensive consultation than that!

With the traffic problems plaguing the Cities of Metro Cebu, (like the current controversy where Cebu City refused to allow jeepneys from Mandaue to continue its old routes or the problems we experienced with the drivers in Tangke or Minglanilla) the concept of a MCTA specifically for traffic (unlike the Metro Manila Development Authority, which had a wider scope) was born. I dare say that the time to create MCTA has come because its benefits outweighs its negatives.

I only read the comments of Mayor Osmeña about MCTA where he thinks, "authorities are 'confiscatory' in nature". I can only second-guess that his thinking stems from the trouble Cebu City is experiencing with the Cebu Port Authority (CPA) on the controversy of whether they should pay realty taxes or not, an issue which is already in the courts.

But the concept of MCTA doesn't confiscate any properties. It is merely a management concept whereby all the government agencies, which control the transportation industry, are put in one super body. That means, the Land Transportation Office (LTO), the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), Citom, Tedman, and the Traffic Management Group (TMG) and the traffic bodies in Lapu-Lapu and Talisay cities would finally be under one roof.

So you ask, where will MCTA get its funding? Ahh, now you're talking. Remember the question we posed as to what happened to the so-called Road User's Tax? This is exactly what I would like to see happen when MCTA becomes a reality; that the money we pay for vehicle fees, apprehensions and fines would be collected by MCTA and in turn, Cebu City doesn't have to spend P65 million annually to keep and maintain Citom. That should be a huge savings on the part of Cebu City, plus MCTA must share in the parking fees where they are collected on a 60/40 basis in favor of the local government unit. That means, the LGUs continue to earn money on their parking slots aside from saving huge chunks of funds for having to maintain their respective traffic bodies.

One of Mayor Osmeña's objections to MCTA is the one-vote per city, or whether Cebu City can exercise some kind of veto. That is something he can easily resolve with his friends in Congress. But certainly, it doesn't diminish the need for MCTA. In fact, yesterday's news in The FREEMAN was titled, "Tom backs GMA, but critical of gov't agencies". This is exactly what MCTA hopes to achieve, to have these erring national government agencies under the control of the Metro Cebu mayors. Now how do the Metro Cebu mayors hold control of MCTA? Now that is for the politicians to decide!

Finally, I'd like to note the editorial of The FREEMAN yesterday entitled, "Osmeña has to be brought on board" where it correctly pointed out, "But friend or foe, it is absolutely necessary for these congressional proponents of the Metro Traffic bill to be able to convince Osmeña that the necessity of having such an agency is far more imperative than even the most valid of the mayor's concern. If the proponents fail in that, then they might as well kiss their proposal goodbye. To be sure, they can successfully push their bill in Congress. The devil, however, will be in the implementation." Very well said.

On a final note, let me say that we need a MCTA today because of our constant trouble with Imperial Manila. But all that would disappear if we change our charter and become a Federal State. That is something that Mayor Osmeña also doesn't believe would happen… unless we push the plan being hatched in Manila dubbed, Tomas Osmeña for Prime Minister Alliance Nationwide (TOPMAN). Opps! I wasn't supposed to blurt this out yet. But what the heck… let this thing float and let's see what happens!

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For email responses to this article, write to [email protected]. Bobit Avila's columns can also be accessed through www.thefreeman.com