BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan underscored the importance of the issuance of Administrative Order No. 050, series of 2017 that granted exemptions to trucks loaded with perishable goods, those containing mine ore concentrate from large-scale mining companies and water delivery trucks from the coverage of the provisions of Ordinance No. 05, series of 2017, saying that it was a move to address the urgency of the matter considering the numerous requests for exemption from the truck ban.
The local chief executive explained there was no executive repeal when he issued the order because it contained the provision that warrants the confirmation of the local legislative body before it will be effective.
He explained the supposed action of the local legislative body in confirming the order would be similar to the granting of an exemption from the coverage of the truck ban ordinance considering that it did not authorize him to grant the necessary exemption from the coverage of the measure that is already being implemented.
“We will already leave the matter to the members of the city council when to act on the exemptions being requested by the various sectors. We already did our part in issuing the necessary order which must be confirmed by the local legislators before it will be in full force and effect,” Domogan stressed.
Domogan said that he found merit to the requests for exemption from the coverage of the truck ban by the concerned sectors that is why he called for a meeting among all those involved that ended up in the issuance of the order that was forwarded to the local legislative body for confirmation.
According to him, the concerned sectors must continue lobbying with the members of the city council for exemption because as far as he is concerned, he already did his part which was against misinterpreted by some local legislators.
Under the new truck ban ordinance, 6-wheeler trucks, trailer trucks, heavy equipment among others are prohibited from plying the major roads in the city from 6 am to 9 am daily and 4 pm to 9 pm daily.
He claimed once the council confirms the administrative order, it will be a joint action of the executive and legislative branches of government on the pressing concern that was brought to his attention by the concerned stakeholders.
La Trinidad Mayor Romeo Salda, La Trinidad police Chief Inspector Benson Macliing accompanied vegetable and cutflower truckers in appealing to Mayor Domogan to relax the implementation of the new truck ban ordinance by granting the necessary exemptions to their trucks considering that even in Metro Manila, transporters of perishable goods are even given foodlane stickers for them to be exempted from the coverage of the truck ban and other traffic ordinances in the Metro Manila area.
He called on the local legislators to fastrack their supposed actions on the grant of exemption to concerned stakeholders from the coverage of the truck ban to prevent its serious negative effect on the transport of perishable goods from the farms to the market.
By Dexter A. See
