Wednesday, December 15, 2004
An Open Letter to the Cebu City Council
To the councilors of Cebu City, what are you thinking? Don't you guys have anything else to do in that chamber? Don't you have any other things in mind than inconvenience people?
With all due respect, this new ordinance is misdirected, unreasonable and simply absurd. According to Sun.Star's Rene Martel, Councilor Eugenio Faelnar cooked up this ordinance because of his great concern for children riding habal-habal in the city's mountain barangays.
I fully appreciate your concern, sir, but your ordinance illogically equates riding a motorcycle with one's parents and riding a habal-habal, which may be driven by an unlicensed, under-aged or, worse, inebriated driver. There's a world of difference between the two!
It's highly unusual that a parent would put his own children in harm's way by riding his motorcycle the way habal-habal drivers do. And no foolish parent would sit as many children in his motorcycle like a habal-habal driver would.
So, this begs the question: Why prohibit owners of motorcycles from riding bikes with their children when what you’re actually trying to accomplish is prohibit children from riding habal-habal? Why not just prohibit this dangerous transport service altogether? It's illegal to sit more than two adults on a motorcycle, anyway!
I bought my motorcycle a year ago for three reasons: (1) a motorcycle is seldom stuck in traffic, (2) it's economical (I spend only P60 a week for gas), and (3) it's the only motor vehicle I can afford. I have a six-year-old daughter who goes to school at CIC; and because I can't afford a yaya, I take her to school myself.
Councilor Faelnar, are you now telling me that I squeeze my meager salary and hire a yaya or, worse, buy a car? Is the city willing to pay the salary of this yaya or buy this car for me and subsidize its gasoline consumption? I'm pretty certain it isn't! So, why the heck are you implementing this ordinance? You're so unreasonable!
Finally, this ordinance is absurd. Consider this for a moment: Because of this ordinance, a parent, whose pre-school daughter (obviously under 7 years old) goes to CIC, will now have to stop at the boundary of Mandaue and Cebu City, disembark and tell his kid, "langga, paglakaw nalang padulong CIC kay di nata pwede mag-motor diha sa Cebu City."
Can you imagine the hassle and, yes, the danger if this were to happen? Or, probably, Councilor Faelnar wants me to leave my motorcycle for thieves or vandals to feast on while my daughter and I commute to CIC? What about our fare, Mr. Faelnar? Are you willing to subsidize it?
It is pretty clear this new ordinance is misdirected, unreasonable and absurd. If it's safety that you're after, then ban habal-habal! Or simply require that only one child can ride a motorcycle and he/she must sit in between the driver and the other passenger.
To the councilors of Cebu City, what are you thinking? Don't you guys have anything else to do in that chamber? Don't you have any other things in mind than inconvenience people?
With all due respect, this new ordinance is misdirected, unreasonable and simply absurd. According to Sun.Star's Rene Martel, Councilor Eugenio Faelnar cooked up this ordinance because of his great concern for children riding habal-habal in the city's mountain barangays.
I fully appreciate your concern, sir, but your ordinance illogically equates riding a motorcycle with one's parents and riding a habal-habal, which may be driven by an unlicensed, under-aged or, worse, inebriated driver. There's a world of difference between the two!
It's highly unusual that a parent would put his own children in harm's way by riding his motorcycle the way habal-habal drivers do. And no foolish parent would sit as many children in his motorcycle like a habal-habal driver would.
So, this begs the question: Why prohibit owners of motorcycles from riding bikes with their children when what you’re actually trying to accomplish is prohibit children from riding habal-habal? Why not just prohibit this dangerous transport service altogether? It's illegal to sit more than two adults on a motorcycle, anyway!
I bought my motorcycle a year ago for three reasons: (1) a motorcycle is seldom stuck in traffic, (2) it's economical (I spend only P60 a week for gas), and (3) it's the only motor vehicle I can afford. I have a six-year-old daughter who goes to school at CIC; and because I can't afford a yaya, I take her to school myself.
Councilor Faelnar, are you now telling me that I squeeze my meager salary and hire a yaya or, worse, buy a car? Is the city willing to pay the salary of this yaya or buy this car for me and subsidize its gasoline consumption? I'm pretty certain it isn't! So, why the heck are you implementing this ordinance? You're so unreasonable!
Finally, this ordinance is absurd. Consider this for a moment: Because of this ordinance, a parent, whose pre-school daughter (obviously under 7 years old) goes to CIC, will now have to stop at the boundary of Mandaue and Cebu City, disembark and tell his kid, "langga, paglakaw nalang padulong CIC kay di nata pwede mag-motor diha sa Cebu City."
Can you imagine the hassle and, yes, the danger if this were to happen? Or, probably, Councilor Faelnar wants me to leave my motorcycle for thieves or vandals to feast on while my daughter and I commute to CIC? What about our fare, Mr. Faelnar? Are you willing to subsidize it?
It is pretty clear this new ordinance is misdirected, unreasonable and absurd. If it's safety that you're after, then ban habal-habal! Or simply require that only one child can ride a motorcycle and he/she must sit in between the driver and the other passenger.
In these times of crisis, we need government to lighten our burden, not add to it. I earnestly call on the city council to recall this measure or the mayor to veto it.
