Cortes to ask Rama to reconsider jeepney ban

MANDAUE City Mayor Jonas Cortes said he will ask  Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama this week to reconsider the  ban on the entry of Mandaue passenger jeepneys  in Cebu City.

As this developed,  Cebu City officials asked Mayor Cortes in meeting him to let Cebu City  garbage trucks pass through Mandaue City after hauling trash in the  Consolacion town landfill.

Cortes told reporters that the Cebu City ban on Mandaue jeepneys affected not only Mandaue City residents but also those from Cebu City and Lapu-Lapu City.

“I’m doing this not only for Mandaue but all of Metro Cebu,” the mayor said.

The Mandaue city government earlier wrote  to Cebu City officials asking them to reconsider the ban since it would affect the livelihood of  jeepney operators and drivers.

Cortes said commuters in the cities of Mandaue, Cebu and Lapu-Lapu are greatly inconvenienced and had to take  two to four rides from their homes to or out of Cebu City.

He said some Cebu City residents outside their city are affected.

Jeepneys whose routes cover Manalili in downtown Cebu City were earlier barred from entering the Central Business District in keeping with an existing city terminal ordinance, the Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) said yesterday.

Citom chief Rafael Yap earlier said the ban stemmed from complaints on the presence of passenger jeepneys near the Cebu Cathedral.

Passenger jeepeneys bearing route nos. 21 and 22 A, D and G will only be allowed to travel up to the North Consolidated Terminal located beside the new White Gold Department store at the North Reclamation Area.

The ordinance also bans Mandaue City passenger jeepneys bearing route numbers 21 and 22 B from plying routes leading to Osmeña Boulevard.

It limits the use of Cebu City roads to city registered passenger jeepneys.

Yap said Mandaue-Malili route jeepneys will load and unload passengers at the North Consolidated terminal in White Gold at the Citom accredited terminal at the NRA.

They would share the White Gold terminal with other jeepneys bound for northern cities and towns.

From the White Gold terminal, passengers could board jeepneys with route nos. 01K, 10H and those bound for Labangon in going to the Cathedral area.

Violators will be issued citation tickets and temporary operators permit (TOP).

The ban will also apply to jeepneys that pass by their area, which include those from Labangon and those headed for the Reclamation Are and SM mall.

Meanwhile, Cortes said he may consider allowing Cebu City garbage trucks to pass by Cebu City provided they don’t violate the Solid Waste Management Act.

Cortes met with Councilor Nida Cabrera, who r said they will make sure the city’s 100 garbage trucks will be empty once they  passes through Mandaue City

Mayo Cortes said he will discuss Cabrera’s proposal to the Mandaue City Traffic Board this Wednesday in light of the opening of six malls and one hotel sometime soon. /Jucell Marie P. Cuyos, Reporter