Bacolod City Police Director Senior Supt. Ricardo de la Paz said the emergency blinkers to be installed on top of taxis should also be used during other emergency cases and not only to warn other motorists when taxi drivers are in trouble.

De la Paz suggested this during a committee hearing held by Councilor Al Victor Espino in Bacolod City Tuesday that was attended by about 20 taxi drivers and operators, involving an ordinance requiring all taxi operators/owners to install blinker lights on top of their taxis that was approved by the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod late last year.

The stakeholders decided that the lights of their blinkers, which will cost P500 per unit, should be blue so they will be visible, not only during night time but also in the daytime.

The ordinance requires the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office to strictly enforce to protect the citizens against lawless elements. No business permit or city stickers will be issued unless the applicant (operator or owner) has complied with all the requirements called in under the ordinance.

Taxi operators/owners violating any provision of the ordinance will be penalized with a fine ranging from P500 for the first offense, 1,000 for second offense and P2,000 for the third offense, if their taxi units have malfunctioning blinker lights.

They will also be meted a fine of P5,000 plus temporary cancellation of business permit until the unit has been installed, the ordinance said.*CGS

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