The Dumaguete City council is again facing a dilemma in the enforcement of an ordinance increasing the fees for a mayor's permit for tricycle drivers.

A group of roving tricycle drivers claimed they were not consulted before the passage of the ordinance, increasing the fee from P27 to P400 starting this year.

The drivers met with Mayor Agustin Perdices Monday to ask for a reconsideration, saying the amount is too costly for them.

They contended that pedicab drivers with specific routes represent only one-fourth of the entire tricycle population. And yet, they were not consulted on the matter, they said. They claimed that those invited to the public hearing were officials and members of pedicab drivers with specific routes in Dumaguete, while the roving pedicabs were not called to attend.

They said they are amenable to a 100 percent increase in the mayor's permit but not the staggering 19 hundred percent increase.

Perdices told them to present their concerns at the next regular session of the city council.

Records at the city council show that several public hearings were conducted on the rates before the final approval of the ordinance.*JG

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