Osmeña: Citation tickets instead of clamps for illegally parked vehicles

WHILE the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) still runs short of wheel clamps, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said that tickets will be issued to those who will violate the anti-illegal parking ordinance.

Osmeña said he had received several complaints about illegally parked vehicles that were not clamped because the CCTO did not have enough clamps to use.

Osmeña said that at present, CCTO only had at most 200 clamps but the number of illegal parking volators might reach to about 2,000 vehicles.

“We are ordering more clamps. But I have another solution, we will issue tickets to you if we have no more clamps,” said Osmeña said.
Osmeña warned the motorists not to take tickets lightly because they will be accumulated and will have to be paid before in bulk if they will get caught again and get clamped.

“Sooner or later when you get clamped. Everything will come out in your record and your car will not be released until you pay all your tickets,” said Osmeña.

In the amended ordinance passed by Councilor Dave Tumulak last week, the fine for each traffic violation has been increased from P500 to P1,000.

“No hangyo. So, the day will come, your car will be clamped, you will pay the fine and if they will tell you have 50 violations, well, you have to pay for all the 50 violations,”said Osmeña.

To recall, City Ordinance 1657 which allowed traffic enforcers to clamp illegally parked vehicles had been under scrutiny for years until the Supreme Court ruled that clamping of vehicles is a “fair and reasonable way to enforce the ordinance against its transgressors, otherwise, the transgressors would evade liability by simply driving away.”