READ: Duterte orders officials to reclaim public roads used for private purposes
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 26) — Cities and municipalities are now required to designate impounding areas for illegally parked vehicles in the effort to clear road obstructions.
“Ang mga illegally parked vehicles ay kailangang i-tow at dalhin sa impounding area (Illegally parked vehicles should be towed and brought to impounding areas). It is, therefore, incumbent upon cities and municipalities to designate impounding areas for the safekeeping of towed vehicles,” Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said in a statement on Wednesday.
He reminded local governments to comply with Memorandum Circular 2020-031, which he issued February 12.
Under the circular, cities and municipalities should make sure there is a designated area for towed vehicles because of illegal parking and other violations, as well as road accidents or stalled vehicle due to breakdown.
Interior Undersecretary and spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said tricycles caught on national highways should also be impounded in designated areas.
The Interior department has also ordered local governments to pass ordinances “prescribing clear guidelines on towing, impounding, and releasing of impounded vehicles, to provide certain penalties, as may be appropriate and necessary.”
These ordinances should be consistent with national laws and policies and “shall not be unreasonable or discriminatory,” the department circular read.
The agency earlier gave local government units 75 days, or until May 2 to clear road obstructions.
This is a follow up to President Rodrigo Duterte’s 60-day deadline last year, which the DILG said resulted in the clearing of 6,682 primary and secondary roads nationwide. It said 97 out of 1,245 local government units across the country failed to comply with the President’s order, including ten now facing administrative charges.
The Local Government Code grants police powers to local governments to regulate use of streets, direct traffic, and prohibit and remove obstructions as needed.
