THE CITY council has voted in a resolution to study further the current traffic dry-run, which uses the privately owned jeepney terminal as the city’s compliance to the mandated integrated bus terminal system.
This practical substitute for an integrated bus terminal of the government is an important indication that the city is now growing, and chaos and confusion are nearing the stage in the traffic nightmare every single day in the city’s major thoroughfares, especially during rush hours in the morning and evening.
However, the stigma of politics seems to cause the traffic dry-run to hit a major snag. This is not a confirmation, but a strong and obvious suspicion that politics is again trying to take its toll on a matter which is vital to public interest, which is the city’s traffic worsening congestion.
The issue is that jeepneys and buses from the north are opposing the transport dry-run because they have yet to drive the extra kilometer to Robinsons instead of just dropping and picking up passengers in downtown Dumaguete. Robinsons is not quite located in the center of the city but more in the south, nearer the Don Bosco school. That is why not all jeepneys and buses are participating in the dry-run.
In politics, the City Council, although dominated by the administration majority, has nonetheless passed the resolution stopping the dry-run initiated by the city, because of what the opposition claims as done without prior consultation. But the wonder is why did the majority join in the call for the stoppage. This means that there must be some sense in doing so.
Please note that in fairness to the city administration, their desire is simply to seek public reactions to the proposal, favorable or not. Theirs was not to preempt the Council, but to give the city legislators guidance for a wise policy formation.
Another opposition by jeepneys is the private interest of one gasoline station, which requires, if not encourages, jeepneys near the terminal to buy their gas there. If true, this is discriminatory and class legislation since it is included in the MOA with the private sector, and the city government which needs the imprimatur of the city council. Because of this objectionable portions of the MOA, the city council is inclined to decide for a review of the entire content of the memo of agreement which policy should not favor one gas station operator, and other vested interest groups.
The question as to why there was no prior consultation by the executive and legislative members is something which could have been easily done and solved had the executive and legislative branches been in the best of talking terms.
So we reiterate and blame traditional politics as the culprit that could have triggered the cause of suspending and delaying the traffic mess solution in our city, simply because so many opportunists want to grab the limelight even among the pros, and the cons.
