The city council during the regular session on November 9 approved the request of the Municipality of Tuba to allow tricycles operating therein to traverse parts of Baguio City for purposes of registration at the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in Wangal, La Trinidad.
The city legislators, however, emphasized that the tricycles should only cross identified parts of Baguio for the said purpose and not for ferrying passengers.
Appearing via teleconference, Municipal Councilor Rebecca Apil of the Municipality of Tuba proposed that the tricycles coming from Barangay Tadiangan will take the Pico-Lamtang Rd. – Irisan – Longlong route while those coming from Barangay Nangalisan will take the Quezon Hill- Tam-awan- Longlong route. From Longlong, the tricycles will then travel to Wangal, La Trindad where the LTO La Trinidad District Office is located.
Lt. Col. Oliver Panabang, Chief of the Traffic Enforcement Unit, said he supports the municipality’s proposal inasmuch as the tricycle drivers have pertinent documents to prove to traffic enforcers in the city their intent to have their tricycles registered at the LTO.
Meanwhile, Gregorio Retuta, Jr., Chief of LTO-Motor Vehicle Registration Office, called on the officials of Tuba to heed the LTO’s previous request to set up an extension office in their municipality for the convenience of their constituents.
A lone voice, Councilor Philian Weygan-Allan expressed disagreement on the municipality’s request asserting that any exemption to Ordinance Numbered 28, Series of 2012 will “render the ordinance unimplementable.”
Authored by Weygan-Allan, the ordinance bans anyone from driving and operating a tricycle within the boundaries of the city.
On October 30, 2020, members of various market vendors associations submitted a petition paper pushing for strict implementation of the tricycle ban in the city.
“We still maintain a tricycle-free Baguio and do not subscribe [sic] that these tricycles traverse our city for registering and for transporting children and goods as it disrupts the traffic because of its terrain and volume of vehicles. Allowing them will defy Baguio City’s historical heritage laws and traditions,” the petition paper stated.
With the majority of its members agreeing to grant the request of the municipality, the city council inked their approval in a form of a resolution. The resolution will be forwarded to the City Mayor’s Office for signing.**Jordan G. Habbiling
