CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — The president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines in Misamis Oriental has asked the City Council to review the implementation of a nearly 20-year-old ordinance restricting provincial public utility vehicles from entering the city proper.

Opol Mayor Jay Francis Bago, the LMP provincial president, appeared before the City Council on Wednesday to raise concerns over the policy’s impact on commuters from Opol and other parts of Misamis Oriental.

Bago said some commuters are forced to take as many as three rides to reach their destinations in Cagayan de Oro.

He urged city officials to revisit the route scheme and consider measures that would make travel more convenient for provincial commuters.

Among those affected, he said, are students, government workers, patients seeking regular checkups and senior citizens who must take several rides from the Bulua and Agora terminals to reach their destinations.

The issue centers on the city’s 2007 traffic route scheme, which requires provincial PUVs to use designated routes and terminals instead of proceeding directly into the city proper.

One case involves Igpit Liner jeepneys traveling from Opol toward Carmen in Cagayan de Oro.

Bago said the city cannot simply prevent the jeepneys from entering Carmen because their franchises issued by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board authorize them to operate from Opol to Carmen.

He said Igpit Liner operators have continued to follow the routes indicated in their franchises, noting that their authority to operate comes from a national government agency.

Bago also said the ordinance had not been fully implemented since it was enacted in 2007.

The Igpit Liner issue comes as the city reviews broader concerns involving provincial PUVs and its existing terminalization policy.

Following Bago’s appeal, the City Council’s Committee on Public Utilities approved a motion to hold a stakeholder dialogue on the non-entry of Misamis Oriental PUVs into Cagayan de Oro.

The dialogue will be led by the committee in coordination with the Roads and Traffic Administration and the LTFRB, with local government units, transport operators and drivers expected to participate.

The discussions are expected to cover the existing route scheme, LTFRB-authorized routes, commuter concerns and possible adjustments while maintaining the city’s traffic management objectives.