Citom drive vs. colorum vehicles in SRP nets 16

THE City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) has apprehended 16 drivers who were reportedly caught illegally plying routes in the South Road Properties (SRP). The operation was launched since last month.

In an after-operation report submitted before the Police Coordinating and Advisory Council (PCAC) yesterday, Citom Operations Chief Jonathan Tumulak said that the drivers of the colorum vehicles, or those that operate as public transportation without a franchise, were issued citation tickets for overloading and no entry.

Tumulak said that under the law, Citom is not authorized to book other violations against colorum vehicles because it is within the functions of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and Land Transpor- tation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

This prompted Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella, who also serves as PCAC chairperson, to ask LTO and LTFRB to help Citom with the matter since under the Cebu City guidelines, no public transportation services are allowed in SRP.

Last week, reports on the proliferation of colorum vehicles reached the attention of PCAC.

Based on the report submitted by Tumulak, colorum vehicles were mostly multicabs.

These vehicles reportedly transport passengers from the Senior Citizens’ Park in front of the Cebu City Hall to Talisay City using the SRP, charging P10 per passenger.

Also during the PCAC meeting yesterday, P03 Gregorio Comaingking of the Cebu City Po- lice Office’s Mobile Patrol Group (MPG) failed to show up.

Comaingking was earlier invited to attend the meeting to shed light on the reports that he was the one who gave the authority to the colorum vehicle drivers to transport passengers via SRP.

With his absence, Sr. Supt. Artemio Recabo of the MPG attended the meeting on Comaingking’s behalf.

“We have the commitment of Sr. Supt. Artemio Recabo that they are going to be very strict and will make surveillance on the report of the proliferation of colorum public utility vehicles,” said Labella.

Recabo defended Comaingking from the allegation. He said Comaingking does not tolerate colorum vehicles in SRP and the latter even apprehended some of those listed by Citom.