CONTINGENCY. Lawyers Donato Villar (second from right) and Rory Jon Sepulveda answer questions from the media during the press conference on Monday (May 6, 2024). The Cebu capitol legal team held a press conference after the Cebu City government issued show cause orders against two publicly-run bus terminals for operating without a business permit. (Screengrab from Cebu Capitol PIO video)
CEBU CITY – Counter-measures will be in place should the city government order the closure of two bus terminals, a provincial legal officer said Monday.
Donato Villa, chief of the provincial legal office, said commuters patronizing the Cebu South Bus Terminal on N. Bacalso Ave. and the Cebu North Bus Terminal at the back of SM City Cebu are assured of contingencies in case the city shuts them down.
The Cebu City government issued a show cause order against the two terminals operated by the Cebu provincial government, citing a lack of business registration.
Villa said the legal team from the Cebu capitol questioned the validity of the show cause order, stressing that the operation of the two bus terminals is neither a business nor commercial endeavor.
“It’s purely for service to the people of Cebu. We cannot distinguish who uses the terminals… from Cebu City or the province. Let’s not make political jurisdiction, it’s confusing our minds,” Lawyer Rory Jon Sepulveda, capitol’s legal consultant, said.
Sepulveda said the office of Governor Gwendolyn Garcia will find ways that the operation of the two terminals will never be disrupted.
According to Sepulveda, the purpose of a business permit is to ensure that an establishment pays the correct taxes to the local government.
“The Local Government Code is clear that a government cannot tax a government, a local government unit cannot impose taxes against another local government unit,” he added.
He warned that those who will be responsible for the disruption of the terminals “will have to answer for it.” (PNA)
