Transport group questions brgy involvement in traffic
BACOLOD CITY -- Sangguniang Panglungsod Member Wilson Gamboa Jr., chair of the Committee on Transportation, will conduct today a public consultation in connection with the complaint hurled by the Jeepney Operators of the Mansilingan Incorporated (JOMI).
JOMI claimed that some barangay tanods was deputized as members of the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO) without approval by the Bacolod City Council. They also complained about the blatant use of the citation ticket bearing the Office of the City Mayor.
Jocelyn Go, convenor of said group, accused some of the tanods acting as traffic enforcers who used to impound their passenger jeepney at Barangay Hall as this powers belong only to the Land Transportation Office (LTO).
Go appeared recently at the regular session of the Sangguniang Panglungsod seeking SP intervention for a clarificatory relief relative to the legality/validity of Section 2 and 3, of Barangay Ordinance No. 1 Series of 2008 recently implemented by Barangay Mansilingan. Said Barangay Ordinance came into "full force and effect" by virtue of a certification issued by the Sangguniang Panglungsod secretary dated March 6, 2009.
The petition letter reads that "it is their belief that Barangay Ordinance maybe sufficient in form, but its substance must have unintentionally eluded the keen legal minds of the City Council when such barangay ordinance was submitted to them for ratification.
Earlier, Brgy. Mansilingan Council designated a terninal for PUJ's near their public market by virtue of the ordinance. The complainants questioned the authority of the Brgy. Mansilingan since the designation of routes is embodied in the City Ordinance 338 series of 2003.
JOMI questions the competent authority of the barangay since they believed that a barangay ordinance cannot supersede the provisions embodied in the City Ordinance which is valid and legal. Sangguniang Panglungsod Member Alex Paglumotan blames the committee chaired by Gamboa for not submitting any committee reports with regard to the problems confronted in Brgy. Mansilingan.
"The problems between operators and tanods could have been prevented if Gamboa only submitted his committee report," Paglumotan said.
On the other hand, Gamboa insisted that the Brgy. Ordinance established by Mansilingan had been reviewed by the Committee on Laws and Ordinance chaired by SP Member Dindo Ramos. Gamboa is very optimistic that this problem will be resolved in today's consultation.