Final of two elements
Learn: Half 1 | Gridlock within the North: Why Tuguegarao roads are clogged with visitors
There are lots of elements to think about when fixing a problem as multifaceted as Tuguegarao Metropolis’s visitors congestion.
Tuguegarao Mayor Maila Ting-Que, now on her second time period in workplace, believes that having a devoted parking area for tricycle drivers can be a great begin.
However even step one proves to be a troublesome hurdle for the town authorities.
Proposed parking area
As early as October 2022, simply 4 months into her first time period as native chief government, Ting-Que already proposed the acquisition of tons for use as parking areas by the varied TODAs throughout the town.
She believed this measure would assist decongest the town’s roadsides, alleys, and sidewalks of tricycles, which, as a result of a scarcity of a correct parking area, had been left with no selection however to occupy any accessible area whereas ready for passengers.
Nonetheless, after three years, the proposal’s approval has remained elusive. In keeping with Ting-Que, there have been limitless back-and-forth in regards to the proposal within the earlier metropolis council, delaying the method and leaving the town with no concrete plans on the problem till the council’s final session final June 24.
In December 2022, the Workplace of the Metropolis Mayor first endorsed to the town council’s committee on transportation a proposal to accumulate the lot in entrance of FL Vargas School Inc. alongside Gonzaga Avenue, which tricycle drivers had already been utilizing as a terminal.
This was supposedly the primary of the 4 tons deliberate for buy, one for every clustered barangays: Jap, Western, Northern, and Central Enterprise District.
Previous to this, the proposal had already undergone session with the Metropolis Improvement Council and was ultimately accredited. The CDC consists of the 49 barangay captains, numerous civil society teams (CSOs), and different integral stakeholders and necessary members.
Nonetheless, a 12 months after the CDC approval, the town council turned down the proposal.
Among the many CSOs in favor of the acquisition of a parking zone for tricycles is the Tuguegarao Metropolis Chamber of Commerce and Trade (TCCCI).
Elena Tuddao, a TCCCI member, mentioned a devoted parking area would assist in regulating tricycles as it will present a everlasting area for them to remain put whereas ready for his or her flip to ferry commuters, lowering the necessity to go across the congested city correct simply to select up passengers.
“It’s actually wanted. All of us, even the folks from the legislative, can expertise the heavy visitors that we’ve proper now in Tuguegarao Metropolis. They can not deny that truth,” Tuddao informed Rappler.
Visitors is unhealthy for enterprise, therefore an answer to it ought to come as quickly as doable, she added.
“How are our folks from the barangays speculated to promote their merchandise within the metropolis middle in the event that they get there later than distributors from outdoors Tuguegarao? For instance, greens from Nueva Vizcaya, despite the fact that we’re a lot nearer, they nonetheless arrive late due to all of the visitors,” mentioned Tuddao, a retired authorities worker of the Division of Commerce and Trade.
She mentioned they don’t have an thought why the town council had not but signed the authority to buy the lot even after it was already accredited by the CDC.
Ting-Que informed Rappler that the town council lowered the preliminary funds for the lot’s acquisition from P38 million to P35 million.
Town council had argued that earlier than the proposal might get a inexperienced gentle, a feasibility examine would first should be performed. In response, Ting-Que, who additionally served as a metropolis councilor for 3 phrases earlier than changing into mayor, questioned the legislative physique’s feasibility examine requirement.
“A feasibility examine is for financial enterprise, particularly if there’s revenue, however that is for public curiosity. Free parking for tricycles in order that they received’t block the roads and trigger issues,” Ting-Que responded in Filipino by means of a Fb publish on Could 20, 2024.
Town council additionally required a blueprint from the Metropolis Engineering Workplace for a construction they asserted should be put up on the tons to maximise their use.
The Metropolis Engineering Workplace obliged and proposed constructing a multipurpose evacuation middle, however the metropolis council nonetheless disapproved the proposal, stating that such a building was too costly.
“The engineering division submitted a venture be aware that the preliminary prices can nonetheless be modified. Once more, they discovered causes and nonetheless mentioned no to the proposal,” Ting-Que mentioned in one other Fb publish final Could 27.
Out of the 15 members of Tuguegarao’s earlier metropolis council, solely six had been allied with Ting-Que. Eight had been allied with former vice mayor Bienvenido de Guzman II, who himself is allied with Ting-Que’s rival within the Could 2025 elections, Jefferson Soriano.
Displaced and disorganized
Amid this deadlock, a personal particular person has already bought the lot alongside Gonzaga Avenue for P45 million.
Three TODAs have occupied this lot for greater than three years: Caggay-Alimanao TODA, DATAGONAM (Dadda, Tagga, Gosi, Namabbalan), and Capatan TODA.
Over 100 tricycle items used to park on the terminal on daily basis. Every driver paid P20 day by day for parking charges, which amassed to over P60,000 in month-to-month dues paid to the lot’s new proprietor.
The tricycle drivers had already constructed a group on this parking zone. It was not only a terminal however a sentimental area that served as witness to their lives.
“Virtually all of us right here had been in a position to ship our youngsters by means of college due to driving tricycles. The others already retired from authorities service and simply do that as a pastime,” Rodolfo Baltazar, a tricycle driver for 30 years, informed Rappler in Filipino.
The 60-year-old CATODA Board of Trustee chairman added additionally in Filipino: “We’re already comfy right here. If the lot had been purchased again then, we wouldn’t have an issue as a result of now, we could be requested to depart at any time if the proprietor wants the land.”
When requested the place they might park if the brand new proprietor lastly decides to make use of the lot, Baltazar paused earlier than answering.
“It is determined by our TODA president. We would simply need to park on the aspect of the street once more, but when the DILG clears the streets, the place would we go?” he mentioned in an interview on August 20.
When Rappler visited them once more on September 2, the lot was already empty, and never a single tricycle was in sight.
Residents within the space pointed us to their new location. We discovered them on the intersection of Blumentritt St. and Washington St., only one block away from their previous terminal.
In keeping with CATODA president Arnold Galano, they had been requested by the Tuguegarao Metropolis Tricycle Regulation Unit to vacate the land. Following the order, they left their terminal on August 31.
“It’s an order from a higher-up. What the mayor desires is for us to not pay something,“ Galano informed Rappler.
With nowhere else to go, the tricycle drivers determined to return to their earlier parking web site: at roadsides, with no certainty and sense of safety.
Two new websites are being eyed for the devoted parking area for tricycle drivers.
Considered one of them, proposed by the Workplace of the Metropolis Mayor, is situated in Centro 10, simply behind the barangay corridor and a two- to three-minute stroll from the centro, with a complete space of 1,773 sq. meters (sqm) and promoting for P21,000 per sqm.
The opposite lot, proposed by these in present metropolis council, is alongside Macapagal Avenue and promoting for P16,000 per sqm, with an approximate space of 10,000 sqm.
“The councilors mentioned that the property alongside Macapagal Avenue is cheaper, however the factor is, it’s vulnerable to flooding and it’s removed from the town middle,” Ting-Que informed Rappler in Filipino.
Tuguegarao’s new metropolis council, elected final Could, is a mixture of Ting-Que’s allies and opponents. It stays to be seen whether or not a devoted parking area for the tricycle drivers will lastly get the council’s nod.
On the tricycle drivers’ demand that the town authorities additionally impose a coding system for personal automobiles, Ting-Que mentioned proposals associated to this are already with the town council. However preliminary discussions with personal car homeowners revealed a desire for a coding system carried out solely throughout rush hours and never the entire day.
New web site improvement
To decongest the town middle, there are additionally efforts to develop new websites to cater to the totally different industries within the metropolis.
By establishing new areas for financial exercise, enterprise alternatives shall be distributed extra evenly throughout the town, thereby lowering visitors congestion within the city correct.
In keeping with Chona Sedano, Tuguegarao Metropolis Planning and Improvement coordinator, the brand new web site improvement has already began, though nonetheless removed from full realization.
Three new websites are being eyed for improvement. The primary is within the western portion of the town, the place industries and companies are beginning to increase. The jap portion is the place the town plans to spice up the agricultural panorama, whereas regional establishments and the town corridor are situated within the northern portion.
Sedano informed Rappler the largest problem to creating progress within the improvement of those websites is the dearth of recent infrastructure linking the town middle to the outskirts.
At the moment, there are 4 important entry and exit factors for motorists going to and from Tuguegarao’s metropolis middle:
- The Pinacanauan Overflow Bridge is a vital hyperlink to Jap Tuguegarao and the city of Peñablanca.
- The Buntun Bridge connects Tuguegarao Metropolis to the municipalities of Southern Cagayan.
- The Maharlika Freeway hyperlinks Tuguegarao Metropolis to the province of Isabela.
- The Cagayan Valley Highway runs north from Tuguegarao and connects it to Iguig and different Northern Cagayan cities.
The Pinacanauan Overflow Bridge is vulnerable to flooding. When it’s submerged in floodwaters, motorists are pressured to take the lengthy minimize alongside the Maharlika Freeway, the place vehicular visitors is already heavy. In the meantime, Buntun Bridge, as a result of its previous age, is already exhibiting indicators of degradation.
Because of this new roads and bridges are wanted to be constructed to deal with the bottlenecks on the entry and exit factors, in keeping with the Metropolis Planning and Improvement Workplace.
Delayed and derailed
There are three ongoing infrastructure initiatives within the metropolis that might handle this drawback. Their completion, nevertheless, has been delayed for years, inflicting extra hurt than good.
“There are lots of ongoing street constructions in Tuguegarao proper now that the DPWH can’t appear to complete. This contributes to the prevailing visitors. They aren’t in a position to end it on time as they promised,” Ting-Que informed Rappler.
One such street venture is the Tuguegarao West Bypass Highway, which might have lengthy alleviated the town’s congestion.
The primary section of the 8.89-kilometer, four-lane different street venture began in 2018.
When then-Division of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) secretary Mark Villar performed a web site go to in October 2018, he mentioned the bypass street can be accomplished in 2022. To today, the venture stays unfinished.
In a assertion, DPWH Regional Workplace II cited restrictions within the launch of funds for the venture’s completion as the reason for delay.
At the moment, motorists from Northern Cagayan need to cross by means of the town’s interior roads and the congested Tuguegarao freeway to get to Solana city and different areas in Southern Cagayan.
This different route, which connects barangays Carig and Buntun by navigating barangays Linao, Atulayan, and Bagay, might scale back journey time by 20 to half-hour.
The street, which has not but been opened to the general public since building began in 2018, is already exhibiting cracks and “scaling” or the peeling of the topmost layer of cement.
One other infrastructure venture is the Pinacanauan 2 Bridge, which may very well be an alternate path to the Pinacanauan Overflow Bridge.
Knowledge from the DPWH web site as of August 31 confirmed that 5 contracts had been secured for the bridge since its building started in 2022. A type of contracts was already completed. One venture, whereas already at 100%, was not but tagged as accomplished.
These 5 contracts have an amassed value of P933,020,145.46. In keeping with the Cagayan Valley Regional Council, the venture will value a complete of P1.7 billion to complete.
One of many three ongoing contracts is a three way partnership by St. Gerrard Development Gen. Contractor & Improvement Corp. and JC Palomo Development & Development Provide, with a price of P285,919,061.33 and a 47.53% completion price.
To recall, St. Gerrard Development is without doubt one of the building companies owned by the Discayas, whose firms have been blacklisted by the DPWH. The couple are on the middle of the continued flood management controversy that has sparked protests nationwide.
One other proposed bridge is the Solana-Tuguegarao Bridge, which might minimize journey time from Tuguegarao to Southern Cagayan by a minimum of half-hour.
Ting-Que has already known as out the implementing businesses, primarily the DPWH Cagayan Third District Engineering Workplace, over these delayed initiatives.
What is going to it take to resolve Tuguegarao’s worsening visitors? Is it discovering a devoted parking area for tricycle drivers? Quick-tracking infrastructure initiatives? Or growing the town to develop into a spot the place public transportation is extra valued than personal automobiles?
No matter it takes, Galano hopes for just one factor.
“I hope these in energy would think about what would make issues simpler for folks and for us tricycle drivers. We simply need them to settle their variations so the initiatives could be completed. In order that it’s peaceable,” he mentioned in Filipino. – Rappler.com
Roland Andam Jr. is a BS Accountancy graduate from Cagayan State College-Andrews Campus. An Aries Rufo Journalism Fellow of Rappler for 2025, he was additionally the editor in chief of The CSU Communicator.
