BACOLOD – Starting Monday, the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO) has reinstated the enforcement of its clamping and towing ordinance, partnering with a private company to manage illegally parked vehicles across the city.
According to Philippines News Agency, who on November 3, 2023, signed a memorandum of agreement with Francis Desales, the owner of Bacolod-based Metro Towing Services, the city government has authorized this local towing service to augment the BTAO's operations. "We engaged a third party to do our towing operations for (illegally parked vehicles) clamped by the BTAO. The vehicle will be towed and brought to an impounding area," Benitez stated during an interview.
The city's ordinance 09-17-818 lays out the procedures and standards for accrediting privately owned towing companies and specifies the guidelines for towing, clamping, and impounding services. The mayor elaborated that the collection of fees related to these services would remain under the city's control, with a fee-sharing agreement in place—75 percent of the proceeds go to the private towing company, and 25 percent are retained by the city.
Vehicle owners who violate parking regulations will be subject to clamping, towing, and impounding fees. These fees vary based on the type of vehicle involved, with clamping fees ranging from PHP600 to PHP1,000 and towing fees starting from PHP1,000 to PHP4,500 for the first four kilometers. Additionally, the daily impounding fee is PHP200 for the first two months, PHP350 for the third and fourth months, and PHP500 for the fifth and sixth months.
The impounding area is located at the former Coca-Cola plant between 15th and 16th -Lacson Streets, which currently serves as the temporary base for the BTAO headquarters. This follows the appointment of executive assistant Patrick Lacson as the officer-in-charge on November 1.
The ordinance identifies various tow-away zones across the city, such as loading and unloading areas for public vehicles, near intersections or curves, in front of driveways, on bicycle lanes, near fire stations, hospitals, fire hydrants, pedestrian lanes, and on bridges. To inform residents, red-marked signages have been installed in strictly no-parking zones, while yellow signals indicate regulated parking hours from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.