Thursday, October 20, 2005
Operator backs towing fee hike
In a stance that surprised many, the leader of a transport operators’ group yesterday told Cebu City legislators that he favors plans to raise towing charges of stalled vehicles or those caught in tow-away zones.
Simeon Velez, chairman of the Southern Cebu Operators and Drivers Association Inc. (Scodai), said that hardheaded drivers who don’t care about the hassle they cause others when their vehicles conk out in the streets ought to be disciplined.
Spanking
City Councilor Procopio Fernandez’s proposal, he said, will give these drivers a good spanking.
“Pareho na sa anak nga bunala’g ka-usa, dili patoo. Kaduha, dili gihapon, katulo diha pa mahadlok. Pareho ra ni, pagtarong sa hiwi (It’s like disciplining a child who only learns his lesson after the third spanking),” he said in yesterday’s public hearing on Fernandez’s draft measure.
Scodai boasts of at least 1,000 members.
Velez said they were not unanimous in their opinion but majority believed the proposed ordinance will unclog the streets and help members earn more.
Fernandez argued that “among the causes of congestion...are illegally parked and unattended vehicles.”
To address this problem, the City enacted City Ordinance 1335, which sets the rates of towing charges and storage fees.
But Fernandez said the fees needed to be adjusted.
According to his proposal, towing charges for the first five kilometers for extra-light duty vehicles (motorcycles) should be P1,500; light duty (1,600cc), P1,800; medium duty (1,601cc to 2,800cc), P2,000; heavy duty (2,801cc and up), P2,500; and trailers, P3,000.
The City should also impose an additional P100 for every succeeding kilometer, while storage fees should range between P100 and P2,000.
Felix Taguiam, Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry transport committee chairman, cautioned that although it might be the drivers’ fault, it is the owners who will end up paying the fees.
Robert Ong of the Cebu Truckers Association also expressed apprehension that the situation might encourage more corruption.
Apprehending officers may end up accepting bribes just so vehicle owners will not pay actual fees, he said. (RHM)
(October 20, 2005 issue)
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