The Dumaguete City Legal Office yesterday insisted on the validity of Ordinance No. 60 that upgrades the mayors permit fee and the franchise fee to P800 for motorcab for hire operators and drivers.

City legal officer Neil Ray Lagahit said the few complaining drivers have no legal basis to ask for a refund, except those who paid P400 for the mayors permit and P600 for the franchise fee early in January of last year. The refund for a total of P200 will be in the form of tax credit for less than 10 percent of the total tricycle population of Dumaguete.

He reiterated the city government's position that the controversial City Ordinance 88 is already dead, and that the amended Ordinance No. 60 is not dependent on any other ordinance. Unlike CO 88, which was junked by the Provincial Board last year, that it can stand even without the trust fund provision.

MOTOR-PISTON-KMU president Cirilo Collado said the group intends to boycott the payment of such fees. It is demanding for a 70 percent refund of the franchise fees and 50 percent of the mayors permit fees, because they said, it was collected out of an anomalous and highly exorbitant ordinance.

Lagahit said he was hoping the few complaining drivers will reconsider their stand, otherwise the city will be forced to apprehend them for violating a validly declared ordinance.*

back to top