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CEBU CITY, Philippines - Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña plans to allow jeepney drivers to collect P.50 more and waive traffic fines to help them cope with fuel price hikes.
The mayor said he knew the moves would be “illegal” but wouldn’t mind facing a graft case for it.
Osmeña, chairman of the City Traffic Operations and Management (Citom) board, will allow the jeepney drivers plying Cebu City routes to collect an extra 50 centavos in minimum fare.
This means that public utility drivers (PUJ) can collect P7.50 instead of the P7 mandated by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).
Osmeña said he would make a formal announcement on Tuesday but that it won’t be official order because it would be illegal.
“As far as I'm concerned, I will give my go signal (on Tuesday), but it's not official because illegal man ang akong nahimo. I will just make an announcement,” he said.
Osmeña said he would also waive the payment of fines accumulated by drivers for traffic violations committed until July 7, provided they did not join the crippling June 30 transport strike in Metro Cebu.
Romulo Bernades, LTFRB director in Central Visayas, declined to comment when asked if the mayor's order to adjust minimum fare was valid.
He said he would talk to Arnel Tancinco, Citom executive director, and Cebu City Councilor Sylvan Jakosalem, a Citom board member, to explain to Osmeña that the LTFRB had already increased the minimum fare by 50 centavos on June 30 for a total of P7.
Tancinco was also hesitant to implement the other order of the mayor to waive traffic fines accumulated by jeepney drivers.
He said such a move should be done in accordance with the rules of the Commission on Audit (COA).
The twin directives were meant to help PUJ drivers reeling from the unabated increases in fuel.
Premium unleaded gasoline now costs between P59.75 and P61.98 a liter after fuel companies raised their prices by P1 –the 18th round this year.
Diesel prices went up by P2, bringing pump prices to go up between P53 and P54.97 per liter. Kerosene, meanwhile, now costs between P57.10 and P60.30 per liter.
Mayor Osmeña just arrived from a two-week vacation in the United States and Canada.
He drew up the twin incentives for jeepney drivers after talking with Councilor Jakosalem.
On the amnesty on traffic fines for PUJ drivers who didn’t joint the June 30 transport strike led by the Nagkahiusang Drayber sa Sugbo (Nadsu), the mayor said he would talk with Jakosalem first to determine who among the drivers did not join the strike.
The mayor said he did not mind if the city would lose money because his priority was to ensure the people would still have public utilities to ride on.
“Di man na problema ang kwarta, ang problema naglisod ang mga tawo, naglisod ang mga drivers, so kinahanglan ationg ipadayon ang serbisyo (Money is not a problem. The problem is that jeepney drivers are suffering so we have to ensure the services continue),” Osmeña said.
Tancinco of Citom, however, cautioned the mayor that the implementation should be done in accordance with the COA rules.
He could not give the exact accumulated fines of the 8,000 drivers in the city.
Based on the 2002 records, he said the amount reached P100 million although starting 2004, the city was able to collect P5 million every year.
The violations include obstruction, no parking and other moving violations.
“I'm not really sure of the figure but the amount is big. We’re talking about millions,” he said.
“From what I understand from Councilor Jakosalem, it was proposed to the mayor and he did not object but I'm sure there will be a legal discussion on that,” he added.
The mayor wants to allow jeepney drivers to collect an additional 50 centavos in minimum fare or P7.50 instead of P7, despite the lack of approval from the LTFRB.
Osmeña said that while LTFRB has the authority to approve a fare increase, the city is the implementing arm.
“As long as the increase is only 50 centavos, we will not apprehend,” he said.
“I understand that the drivers are suffering due to high costs of fuel. The people are also having difficulty but if nobody would service them, we are dead,” he said.
Osmeña admitted that his directive may be “illegal” but he decided to go ahead with it because “public welfare is at stake.”
“Of course it's not legal. That is very clear, but we just have to. My concern is basic services,” he added.
When reminded that he may face investigation by the Office of the Ombudsman, the mayor said he is willing to face it.
“Unya ma-ombudsman ta, okay ra na...pero kung di makalihok ang mga tawo mosamot gyud na, ako nalang ang mo-sacrifice (If I will be charged in the Ombudsman, it is OK...but the people cannot move around, the problem will worsen. I will be the one to sacrifice),” he said.
But Bernades of LTFRB said he wanted to explain to Osmeña that the agency had already granted a 50-centavo provisional increase to the jeepney drivers on June 30.
He said that if the drivers wanted another adjustment, they could file another petition to the LTFRB.
He, however, declined to comment when asked if the mayor's order was valid and if his office would act on a complaint of overcharging from consumers should the drivers follow the mayor's directive.
“Pero naa na na sa mga tawo kung mosugot sila bisan way matrix or notice, depende nalang na unya (It would be up to the people if they would agree to the increase despite the absence of a matrix or notice),” Bernardes said.
Councilor Jakosalem, a member of the Citom board chaired by the mayor, confirmed that Osmeña would not go after drivers who collect more than the minimum fare prescribed by the LTFRB.
Aside from the 50 centavo increase, Jakosalem asked passengers to give the drivers a tip to help them cope with the series of oil price hikes.
But nursing student Maan Cajape said giving a tip to the drivers would already be a burden for her.
“The fare has already gone up yet we still have to give a tip. It is too heavy for us. We all have needs,” Cajape said. /With reports from Correspondent Carine Asutilla
