THE Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) will start to tow vehicles in areas where parking is prohibited, including barangays, once the additional tow trucks of the city arrive.
Police Major Oliver Panabang, BCPO Traffic Enforcement chief, said the move will concentrate on parking areas in the barangays.
“We are just awaiting the additional tow trucks which will be used for towing purposes in the barangays, which is why we want to remind the motorists to look for other areas to park their vehicles,” Panabang said.
The towing ordinance by Councilors Benny Bomogao, Michael Lawana and Vice Mayor Faustino Olowan aims is to provide 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 streets or roads.
Under the ordinance, the Traffic Enforcement Unit of the Baguio City Police Office, Traffic Management Office, Traffic Task Force, Department of Public Works and Highways, City Engineering Office, and City Environment and Parks Management Office are authorized to remove any vehicle parked on any of the highways, roads or streets, public right-of-way or other public property in the city.
Towing or removal of vehicles will be done only by employees of the city or by a licensed towing company.
“If I am not mistaken, violators of the towing ordinance will have to pay an initial P1,500 for vehicles towed away in storage while a daily P500 fee will be charged to the violator until the vehicle would be repossessed by its owner,” Panabang added.
Any vehicle removed will be impounded in a storage facility or in a property controlled by the City Government and designated for vehicle impoundment.
Under the ordinance, any motor vehicle that is considered a hindrance to public access can be rightly towed, as well as vehicles parked in private properties.
For vehicles parked in private properties, the removal or towing can be made by either the property owner or by the City after informing the owner of the vehicle.
Owner of the vehicle removed or towed will be liable for all the costs accompanying to the removal, storage, and disposal of the vehicle or the parts thereof.
However if the vehicle remains at the storage facility for more than 90 days, it may be removed and disposed in accordance with disposal procedures by the City General Services Office.