Illegally-parked vehicles’ towing set in Baguio

By Dexter A. See

BAGUIO CITY – The city government organized a towing team in charge of implementing the city’s towing ordinance to free the roads from illegally parked motor vehicles that obstruct smooth flow of traffic not only in the central business district but also in the different barangays.

Engineer Januario Borillo, chief of the traffic and transport management division under the City Engineering Office (CEO), said that starting this month, the towing team will be operating from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. to respond to the increasing number of requests to tow stalled or illegally parked motor vehicles along roads that obstruct the smooth flow of traffic, especially during rush hours.

He admitted that requests for the towing of stalled or illegally parked motor vehicles along roads and streets in the different parts of the city have been increasing over the past several months so they decided to create the towing team to roam around the city and tow the illegally parked motor vehicles to be impounded in the CEO compound.

 “We will have to increase the presence of the members of the towing team in our roads and streets to ensure that stalled or illegally parked vehicles that obstruct the smooth flow of traffic will be immediately removed to compel the owners to pay the corresponding fines with the local government,” Borillo said. Under the city’s towing ordinance, owners of towed and impounded motor vehicles are fined P1,500 towing fee, P500 per day storage fee and P115 as illegal parking fee.

According to him, since the implementation of the city’s towing ordinance, requests from concerned citizens and barangay officials to tow illegally parked and stalled motor vehicles have tremendously increased so their office deemed it necessary to mobilize a towing team to concentrate in efforts to rid the roads and streets from unnecessary obstructions.

Borillo stated the local government will continue to work on improving the towing capability of the city to ensure that motorists learn their lessons for them not to illegally park their motor vehicles along roads and streets thus paving the way for the smooth flow of traffic and lessen traffic jams in the different parts of the city.

 He disclosed that from one to two motor vehicles that are being stalled everyday, the number increased to two to three illegally parked and stalled motor vehicles that are towed everyday, a significant improvement on the acceptability of towing of vehicles by the residents and visitors.

 He expressed his gratitude to concerned citizens and barangay officials who provide the CEO with the information on the presence of stalled or illegally parked vehicles in their places and areas of jurisdiction so that the members of the towing team know the exact location of the obstruction thus saving, effort and resources.

The local government’s traffic and transport management division is lodged with the CEO where it directly supervises the traffic auxiliary personnel hired to help in the implementation of programs, policies and projects on traffic and transport management in the city