A Bicolano lawmaker has asked the Supreme Court to stop the controversial policy of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority banning provincial buses along Edsa, the main thoroughfare in the national capital region.
In a 12-page petition filed on Monday, Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda sought issuance of a temporary restraining order or writ of preliminary injunction to immediately enjoin the MMDA from implementing its Regulation No. 19-002.
The former Albay governor also asked the SC to nullify the controversial regulation purportedly intended to ease traffic in Metro Manila’s main thoroughfare.
Salceda stressed the MMDA overstepped the boundary of its power in issuing the regulation, saying it had neither police power or legislative power to unilaterally revoke or prohibit the issuance of permits to all bus terminals along EDSA.
“In issuing the MMDA Regulation prohibiting and revoking permits to all affected PUB terminals along Edsa, [it] is already encroaching into the realm of a legislative body and not performing an administrative function which is the limits of its authority under R.A. 7924 (MMDA Charter),” Salceda’s petition stated.
The lawmaker further alleged that the measure violated the franchises issued by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board on affected buses and also the lease agreements between the affected bus operators and terminal owners.
He added the regulation was “oppressive, unfair” and “will cause economic disruption, inconvenience and added financial burden to ordinary commuters.”
Salceda believes banning provincial buses will not solve traffic on Edsa.
“How then will they reduce traffic when they will add an assortment of close to 20,000 new vehicles just so they can evict 6,000 provincial buses from Edsa? Add the Grab vehicles who will be paged by loyal riders to and from both stop off points towards Edsa and what do we have?” he said.
“There are 2.8-million cars in the National Capital Region plying Edsa versus only 6,000 provincial buses, who do you think is actually causing traffic?” the lawmaker added.
A similar petition citing the same arguments was filed last month by the AKO Bicol Party-list group.