ONLY five of over a thousand impounded vehicles in Mandaue City targeted for release have been claimed by their owners.
According to Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (Team) head Hyll Retuya in an interview on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, most of the five vehicles claimed from the city’s impounding area since the reimplementation of the Amnesty Program were motorcycles.
The program was reimplemented last May 2 and will run until July 31. It offers vehicle owners, particularly those whose vehicles were impounded in 2023 or earlier, a chance to retrieve their units by paying only P1,000 for the storage fee.
However, this amount does not cover towing and violation fees, which must still be settled based on each vehicle’s specific case.
Retuya said many more owners have inquired about the amnesty program although some mistakenly believe that the P1,000 fee covers all charges.
Retuya clarified that this is only for storage, and additional penalties still apply.
Most of the claimed motorcycles either had expired registration or were simply unregistered.
Typically, impounded vehicles incur total charges ranging from P2,500 to P3,000.
Mandaue City is targeting the release of over 1,000 impounded vehicles during the amnesty period.
The impounding facility, located at the old Mandaue public market, is about 90 percent occupied, with motorcycles making up most of the impounded vehicles.
Vehicle owners will have a three-month window to reclaim their impounded units.
The impounded vehicles were seized for various traffic violations, including driving without a valid license, operating unregistered or improperly registered vehicles, unauthorized modifications, illegal parking, reckless driving, and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Some of these vehicles have been in storage for decades, with records showing that some were impounded as early as the 1990s, Retuya said.
The exact number of vehicles eligible for amnesty is still unknown, but the facility’s capacity is expected to exceed 10,000.
One of the main reasons many owners have not reclaimed their impounded vehicles is the high cost of accumulated storage fees.
Under the previous system, motorcycles incur a P100 daily storage fee.
Larger vehicles such as cars and trucks are charged P500 per day.
These fees can accumulate to tens or even hundreds of thousands of pesos, often exceeding the vehicle’s actual value.
Because of this financial burden, many owners choose to abandon their vehicles rather than pay the hefty fees.
Financial relief
Under the amnesty program, the accumulated storage fees will be waived, and vehicle owners will only need to pay a flat P1,000 storage fee plus any outstanding fines.
This initiative aims to provide financial relief to owners while also freeing up space in the impounding facility.
Claims can be processed from Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and on Saturdays until noon. / CAV