BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
ILOILO City – To the various transport and consumers’ groups, the implementation of the Comprehensive Perimeter Boundary Ordinance (CPBO) is a “very undemocratic move” of the city government.
In a position paper, signatories from different associations in Iloilo province like the Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (PISTON-Panay), Confederation of Iloilo Province Jeepney Owners and Drivers Association Inc. (CIPJODA), transport groups of Sta. Barbara and the Panay Consumers’ Alliance expressed disgust and opposition to the CPBO.
“Contrary to the claims of the city government, the CPBO will never solve the traffic congestion on the city’s streets… (it) will (in fact) become a source of corruption through the issuance of new franchises,” part of the position paper read.
The CPBO, according to them, specifically identifies only provincial jeepneys, sidewalks vendors, pedicabs and tricycles as the causes of traffic jams but it fails to address the major source of congestion which is the unregulated entry of private vehicles, especially during rush hours, and the uneven enforcement of the “no parking” traffic regulation.
The signatories cited the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Economic Situationer 2013 that clearly pointed out that of the 127,059 vehicles registered in Iloilo, only 14 percent or 17,855 were for hire (public utility) and 85 percent or 108,046 were private vehicles.
Reducing car passes to four per town will create a big gap in the commuters’ demand for passenger jeepneys during peak hours, they surmised.
The signatories also claimed that the issuance of new routes and new franchises clearly contradicts the aim of CPBO to de-clog the city’s major thoroughfares.
Based on a survey conducted by Panay Consumers’ Alliance on June 6, drivers attributed 50 percent income loss to the CPBO.
With all these concerns, the groups reiterated their appeal to the city government to stop the implementation of CPBO; conduct genuine consultation, not merely information dissemination, and be open minded to the suggestions of the people; ensure that jeepney franchises are not reduced to profit-making schemes; and treat fairly all Metro Iloilo-Guimaras Economic Development Council (MIGEDC) jeepney transport associations.
“We demand that the whole Iloilo City Council review and release the results of the series of consultations conducted last year. If the (transportation) committee is honest enough, the minutes will reveal that majority of the stakeholders do not consider the CPBO as a measure to solve the traffic jams in the city,” the position paper stressed./PN
