Osmeña shuts down controversial terminal

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña has ordered the van-for-hire terminal in Barangay Kamagayan closed.

Osmeña said he ordered the terminal closed because the administrator, Douglas Labra, allegedly abused his authority by disallowing personnel of the Barangay Mayor’s Office to park there.

The property where the terminal is located is owned by the city government.

“But the one who’s helping coordinate there was Douglas Labra. When it reached the point when he stopped the BMO from parking there, I told him to shut down. I mean, mura’g nahimong hari ba. Shut down the whole thing,” Osmeña told reporters yesterday.

In a June 11 order, the mayor also directed the Prevention, Restoration, Order, Beautification and Enhancement (PROBE) team to clear the area of illegal structures. Six structures have been removed, said PROBE head Raquel Arce, including the canteen Labra opened there.

The V-hire terminal started operating in October 2016. It has been giving at least P400,000 to the city per month.

Osmeña said he agreed to accommodate the terminal at the property for the benefit of those living outside the city who use vans for hire to travel.

“But when they start pushing around, this vendor cannot come in, you can do this, don’t park…that’s fatal. It’s not the fault of the V-hire. It’s the fault of Labra. Acting like a king there. So I’ll just cancel the whole thing,” Osmeña said.

Labra denied the allegations and said the mayor may have just been misinformed.

He said he did not deny anyone’s request to park at the terminal.

“Ang BMO ang wala nagpa-parking, dili ako,” he said.

There were reportedly two instances when BMO personnel placed a “no parking” sign at the area.

Still, he will not question Osmeña’s decision nor will he explain his side to the mayor. He said Osmeña will know the truth in due time. —/JMO (FREEMAN)