TAGBILARAN CITY – City Mayor Jane Censoria Cajes-Yap has announced the city government offered a free public ride, including the privately-operated for passengers, as a concrete measure to cushion the impact brought about by weekly soaring of petroleum prices.
The move as a result of consultation with key city and barangay officials and multicabs, jeepney operators is seen to provide the riding public a sigh of relief as the middle east conflict has driven up energy prices worldwide.
She said that the objectives of the measure are to relieve the public-passengers who impacted the fare hike; to ensure the non-stop ferrying of passengers; and to protect the income as a livelihood of the drivers.
In her announcement, passengers are given “libreng sakay vouchers” to avail of the public free ride on privately-oprated, while the drivers’ income is subsidized by the city government.
“Sa maong programa, ang siyudad mohatag og LIBRE SAKAY VOUCHERS sa mga pasahero, ug ang kita sa mga driver subsidized ug bayran sa City Government,” she said.
The city is designating “hop on and hop off” areas with “with specific schedules” for privately operated passenger vehicles. The city has already designated areas of where to ride and off for buses operated by the city government.
The mayor, in an online video post (on March 25), said that all requests for free use of buses owned by city government are suspended until the fuel prices may become stable. She is expected to immediately issue guidelines on this score upon consultation with her co-officials and employees concerned.
The mayor also made public the cancellation of “some” activities, such as Mutya sa Tagbilaran search and a city-sponsored concert, dubbed as ”Maoy sa Mayor” being lined up for the yearly celebration of Saulog fest. But the usual May first street dancing as a devotion to the city’s patron, St. Joseph, the Worker and the Saulog Bazaar to give micro-small-medium enterprises the opportunity and sustain the economic activities in the city will proceed as scheduled.
She plans to appeal the city council to grant her expressed authority to cancel business permit to those business, if found guilty, who’s taking advantage of the situation and convened the local finance committee for possible fund rice subsidy to all city resident-families.
She also urged in gist the 15 barangay folks to actively mobilize for foot procession to light up the streets for more faith and guidance in this crisis.
As this developed, Mayor Yap stressed that the city government under her dispensation will move heaven an earth all resources available to help city residents to make both end meet. She also called the private sector to cooperate with the city as these measures are a test of unity. (Ric Obedencio)
