City to buy towing truck to rid of street obstructions
The Iloilo City government is planning to buy a towing truck to rid the city streets of traffic obstruction.
Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog said a truck will be used to tow away vehicles that obstruct the roads and bring these to the motorpool in San Pedro, Molo.
The site used to be a terminal for southbound jeepneys but was later turned into a parking area for government vehicles and for towed vehicles.
Vehicles that cause traffic congestion should be immediately towed away by authorities, he said.
A growing number of jeepneys and private vehicles in the city has already crowded the main streets, aside from the illegal structures sprouting along the major thoroughfares.
Towing away these illegally parked vehicles and removing the illegal structures along the streets will definitely improve the city’s traffic situation, the mayor said.
Mabilog said the city government will look for funds to buy the towing truck.
The mayor said he will also ask the City Council to increase the towing fee from P50 to P100.
As it is, the towing fee is so small it won’t be able to pay for the gasoline and services of towing companies, he said.
Mabilog said only a handful of towing companies are willing to invest in the city because of the very low towing fee.
He also has ordered the Traffic Management and Enforcement Unit to strictly monitor illegally parked vehicles.
Most private vehicles have a penchant for double parking especially in front of business establishments and even government offices.
This should not be tolerated, Mabilog said.
