Enforcer, 2 others face carnap raps

CEBU, Philippines – Criminal and administrative charges were filed against a traffic enforcer and two personnel of one of the towing companies under contract with the City Traffic Operations and Management for allegedly towing a vehicle parked inside a private compound last January.

Couple Emmanuel and Lourdes Caracena filed the complaints for grave misconduct, grave abuse of authority, grave coercion and robbery/carnapping before the Office of the Ombudsman Visayas against traffic enforcer Noel Albutra and One Stop Towing Services personnel Mark Buyo and Wilfredo Evardome.

The Caracena couple of Pleasant Homes Subdivision, Punta Princesa said, they parked their flatbed truck inside the compound of the United Coconut Planters Bank along Osmeña Boulevard on January 17 in preparation for the Sinulog Grand Parade.

The couple said they were allowed by the bank management to park their vehicle in their compound during that time. The complainants even attached to their complaint a letter from the bank allowing them to use the parking area.

The place is three meters away from the gutter of the road, behind the food stalls, carts and the vendors then occupying the sidewalk. The Caracenas said the place where the vehicle was parked allowed their guests from abroad to have a better view of the Sinulog parade which has been their practice for several years already.

However, they were shocked by the news from the guard of the bank during parade day that their vehicle was already towed by the respondents.

The complainants alleged that the respondents “maliciously singled out” their vehicle and commenced the towing operation without any warning and even if it was parked in private property.

They claimed that there were other big trucks parked along the area but were ignored by the respondents. According to the complainants, the respondents did not only act in “bad faith” but violated the guidelines on vehicle towing because there was no towing notice placed on the vehicle.

The complainants said they were forced to pay P2,500 as towing fee to get their vehicle back. One Stop Towing Services operations chief Efren Navales was hesitant to react to the charges when called up by The FREEMAN claiming that he was not yet the operations chief during the incident.

Navales said they will react on it as soon as he will have the clearance from his boss.

Meanwhile Cebu City Committee on Transportation head councilor Sylvan “Jack” Jakosalem confirmed One Stop Towing Services was only granted a provisional authority from Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña.

The contract he said was deferred but they obtained authority from Osmeña just last May 12, 2009.

Compared with Road Warriors Towing and Motor Services, Osmeña granted them the authority January last year which will only be effective until December 31, 2008.

Base on the documents furnished by CITOM to the city councilors, the authorization given by Osmeña to One Stop Towing Services to operate did not bear any deadline of effectivity.

Meanwhile, CITOM head Arnel Tancinco said they cannot find any ground for their agency to preventively suspend One Stop Towing Services personnel Clyde Arriola.

Arriola, along with three other staff of One Stop Towing Services were allegedly involved in the mauling of a motorist last week. — Fred P. Languido and Ferliza C. Contratista/BRP (THE FREEMAN)