DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/26 January) – The city council will be reconsidering a proposed ordinance requiring all buses plying the city to install CCTVs following Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte’s comment that it could be unconstitutional for lack of jurisdiction.
City council transportation committee chair Tomas Monteverde IV, in a text message Sunday, said he agreed with Duterte.
Prior to Duterte’s comment, Monteverde said they would fast-track the drafting of the ordinance.
“It may be a substantial burden on the bus operators,” the councilor conceded.
“It is evident that the proposed resolution has to be studied thoroughly,” he added.
Francisco Villaroman, Public Safety and Security Command Center chief had pushed for the security measure after a bus bombing in Maramag, Bukidnon in December last year that killed 10 people and injured 42 others.
But Villaroman changed tune after learning that Duterte was not keen on the proposal on legal grounds.
“I will not oppose the mayor,” Villaroman said in a text message Friday.
In an earlier interview, he said they would meet with bus companies to ask about their views on the measure.
Bus companies were divided on the proposal. Some opposed it citing the cost involved, while others favored it.
Duterte earlier said he would ask law enforcers to design measures that would protect passengers traveling to and from the city via the Davao City Overland Transport Terminal.
However, it was unclear whether the buses plying the Davao City route would be still be allowed to pick up passengers along the way.
The military’s Task Force Davao has checkpoints at the city’s entry points in Panacan, Calinan and Toril. (MindaNews)
