City resident complains about towing

CEBU, Philippines - A mechanical engineer has filed a complaint against One Stop Towing Services for towing his vehicle while he was attending to a patient at a hospital two weeks ago.

Nestor Aviso, Sr. of Guadalupe, Cebu City, told The Freeman that he has written a letter to City Administrator Francisco ‘Bimbo’ Fernandez to air his complaint. He is also set to furnish the Office of the Ombudsman a copy of his letter after failing to talk to an official of the City Traffic Operations and Management (CITOM) when he went to their office twice.

Aviso narrated that he rushed to the Cebu Doctors’ Hospital shortly past midnight on May 16 since his niece, who just gave birth, was in critical condition.

He said that when family members were advised that his niece needed blood transfusion, he rushed out to his Mitsubishi Adventure, which he parked along the road, but could not anymore find it there.

“It was 12:40 when I got out so basically more or less 30 minutes lang ko inside, and I was nervous because I had in there a sizeable amount of money and other valuables,” Aviso said.

A guard told him that his vehicle was towed so he proceeded to the stock yard of One Stop Towing, but was told he could not get his vehicle from them since they were not the ones who towed it.

Aviso said that the two company personnel were very arrogant when they talked to him.

“I was totally helpless, could not do anything but to make the best I can, went back to the hospital, stressed and disappointed about my niece’s situation and the towing incident,” he said.

He said his health is also being monitored as he is suffering from hypertension and diabetes.

Aviso pointed out that the place where he parked his vehicle had a sign that says “No Parking, Monday to Saturday from 7am to 7 pm.

“Suffice to say the place is a parking area, in front of a hospital, not committed overnight parking as I had just parked it barely for 30 minutes. Human as we are, nobody in his right mind will park his car in front of any hospital if he has no business,” Aviso said.

The baby died 15 minutes after birth, he said.

He managed to get his vehicle later that day and brought it to the St. Peter’s Memorial Chapel, near the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral that night for the wake.

He said that the vehicle was parked along the road until the wee hours of the next day, but it was never towed.

The guard of the establishment reportedly told him that there is no towing in the said place.

“Is it proper to say, funeraria area, no towing, but hospital area, tow as you please? Or shall I say, die first before you get respect,” he said.

He added that he learned that the purpose of the towing was to decongest the traffic, but further questioned what was One Stop decongesting at 12 in the morning.

Fernandez said he will look into the complaint of Aviso and will meet him in his office today.

Acting Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama in earlier interviews stressed the need to revisit the Cebu City Traffic Code as well as the ordinance that granted the authority to contract towing services.

He said the term “unattended” had to be defined clearly and also the places of exemptions such as hospitals and pharmacies.

The City’s towing activities are now subject of various investigations by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Office of the Ombudsman lately after reports of a motorist being mauled by personnel of a towing company.

Last month, another complaint was also raised by Cebu City opposition leader and former Tinago barangay captain now councilman Joel Garganera.—/NLQ (THE FREEMAN)