Tom: V-hire terminal will remain open

CEBU, Philippines — At least 227 drivers from the van-for-hire (V-hire) terminal operating in Barangay Kamagayan, Cebu City can now heave a sigh of relief.

This after Mayor Tomas Osmeña had a change of heart in shutting down the terminal operations following the appeal of his ally in the Liberal Party, Governor Hilario Davide III.

“Because Gov. Davide asked, the Kamagayan V-Hire area will not be closed. He just called me saying that many of his constituents benefit from it, so I will support him,” the mayor said in a post on his Facebook page yesterday.

The Facebook post has garnered over 1,200 reactions, and around 200 shares as of last night.

The terminal’s “abusive” management prompted the mayor to announce closure last Monday.

“The abusive management of the terminal will not be allowed to return,” the post further read.

The mayor was referring to the terminal administrator, Douglas Labra, who allegedly abused his authority by disallowing personnel of the Barangay Mayor’s Office (BMO) to park at the terminal.

“I have to dismantle the hierarchy there. It’s not the fault of the V-hire, it’s the fault of Douglas Labra, acting like a king there, just cancel the whole thing,” he earlier said.

But Labra earlier denied the allegations and said the mayor may have just been misinformed.

Moreover, Osmeña said the terminal will now be managed by the BMO.

“Kamagayan (terminal) will now be directly under the Barangay Mayor’s Office to make sure that the drivers are not forced to eat in the management’s carenderia or refuel in a certain station,” he said.

Labra reportedly owns a canteen and a donut stall there.

In a separate interview, Labra said he lauds the decision of the mayor.

“Okay kaayo ang BMO taga diha sila. Easy kaayo ang pag-manage sa terminal, first in, first out ra. Malipay gyud tanan. Saludo gyud kaayo ko personally ana nga idea,” he told The FREEMAN.

Also, Labra thanked Osmeña for not closing the terminal.

“I am very happy for that development. Salamat kang Tommy. Malipay kaayo ang mga kabos nga biyahedor,” he said.

The V-hire terminal in Kamagayan started operating in October 2016 and is contributing at least P400,000 to the city government’s coffers a month. — KBQ (FREEMAN)