All roads leading to the South Road Properties (SRP) experienced traffic congestion due to yesterday’s 99th anniversary celebration of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC).
Hundreds of buses, passenger jeepneys and other public utility vehicles (PUVs) got stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic from the port area to the SRP as INC members marked their anniversary with a medical mission and a convention.
INC used the open field at the San Pedro Calungsod shrine at the SRP for their activity. They also used the back portion of the shrine as parking area.
The INC activities were issued a road closure permit by Citom.
A portion of the Mambaling access road of the SRP was closed to vehicular traffic from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Rafael Yap, Cebu City Integrated Traffic Management (Citom) operations chief, said the traffic was caused by PUVs that were illegally parked along the side roads of the SRP viaduct.
Tow trucks removed the illegally parked vehicles to ease traffic heading to the SRP which had been moving at a snail’s pace from 11:30 a.m. up to late evening.
Regional Director Ahmed Cuizon of the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said the INC secured permits for 130 buses and 115 passenger jeepneys for their celebration.
Zosimo Jumao-as Jr., manager of North Bus Terminal, confirmed that 200 buses were hired for the event.
The South Bus Terminal was almost empty after INC leased buses to ferry their members from the countryside.
A Ceres bus which passed by the Cebu City Hall at noon time yesterday and headed to the SRP bore a sign indicating that its riders were INC participants from Bantayan town, northern Cebu.
Cuizon said these 245 vehicles didn’t affect operations in the North and South bus terminals since they already computed that the number of buses traveling in each route should not go beyond 25 percent of their total number.
“This is a localized congestion. We are now assessing if there is a need for us to deploy out Kaoshiung buses to ferry the stranded passengers,” Yap said.
Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama yesterday directed Yap to make sure that enforcers are deployed at the SRP and neighboring roads to man traffic.
“I didn’t use the SRP today (on my way to City Hall). I used N. Bacalso Avenue,” he said.
Road closure resulted to congestion at the junction of the nearby C. Padilla Intersection, Yap said.
Getting a ride was also difficult especially for southern Cebu residents.
Still, Yap said the SRP was a far better venue for the SRP national convention compared to the Fuente Osmeña rotunda which the INC used about two years ago.
About 50 traffic enforcers were on field the whole day yesterday to man traffic.
Citom is in agreement with INC to open the Mambaling access road to traffic as soon as INC vehicles reached their designated parking areas.
“This is just a one time event and we are giving it to them in due deference to INC members. The little inconvenience that we are experiencing is for a good cause,” Yap said.
Edwin Ermac, Traffic Enforcement Agency in Mandaue (TEAM) chief, said they designated personnel to man traffic flow leading to the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC). Correspondent Christine Emily L. Pantaleon, Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac and Reporter Jucell Marie P. Cuyos