Towing of illegally parked vehicles pushed in Baguio

By Gaby Keith

BAGUIO CITY – The city council has passed on first reading a proposed ordinance  known as the “Towing Ordinance of the City of Baguio” that provides for a regulated towing system of damaged, abandoned, immobilized, illegally parked, or disabled motor vehicles on public right-of-way or on public or private property within the city’s streets and roads.

Authored by councilors Benny Bomogao, Michael Lawana and Faustino Olowan, the measure tasks the city engineer’s office to be primarily responsible for the implementation of its provisions.

 “Any vehicle parked on any of the highways, roads or streets, public right-of-way or other public property in the city, which is parked in violation of any provision of the law or of any ordinance of the city, may be removed under the provisions of this ordinance,” the measure states.

It adds that the chief of police, chief of traffic management office, city traffic task force, Department of Public Works and Highways, city engineer, or city parking management office is authorized to remove any vehicle and that removal shall be done only by city employees or by a licensed towing company, if there is any.

Any vehicle removed shall be impounded in a storage facility, as defined by the ordinance, or on property controlled by the city and designated for vehicle impoundment by the city.

 “Any motor vehicle left unattended on private property within the city may be removed under the provisions of this regulation.  The decision to remove any such motor vehicle shall be made by either the property owner or the city after informing the owner.  But in cases where the owner cannot be reached, yet it is a hindrance to public access can be out rightly towed,” the ordinance states.

“Any motor vehicle removed by authority of this ordinance shall be impounded in a storage facility, as herein defined,” it adds.

The proposed ordinance also provides general regulations, definitions, towing licenses needed and qualifications of towing companies, storage facility requirements, prohibited acts of towing companies or city towing authorities and other provisions.