DAVAO CITY — Traffic congestion here is seen to worsen when President-elect Rodrigo Duterte is expected to hold office here in some days of the week.
During Thursday’s I-Speak forum at the City Hall here, Virgilio Jebone, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board representative said that there is a possibility that Duterte’s residing here in the city might cause the traffic crisis similar to what happened in Metro Manila and Metro Cebu, which he said has declared traffic crisis caused by the rapid increase of vehicles in the areas.
As of now, Jebone said that the City has an estimate of 4,500 for taxi vehicles, while there are more or less 2,000 for public utility jeepneys (PUJ).
Davao City Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang added that the traffic problem may worsen due to the recently signed Mega Harbour Project that covers the areas from the Sta. Ana Port to Barangay Bucana.
Meanwhile, Dayanghirang blamed the LTFRB for not consulting with the City Council on franchise regulations.
“The LTFRB should consult their plans with the city, the development and the exact number of vehicles the city only caters,” he said.
He said: “The LTFRB was made to regulate land transportation but there are already a lot of vehicles here in the city like what happened in Manila, including the colorum vehicles, that’s the problem of the government.”
He said that when he is the chairman of the committee of transportation and communication, the LTFRB listens, yet in the end “they are still the one who decides.” (davaotoday.com)
