BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan wants the Cordillera office of the Department of Transportation (DOTR-CAR) to deputize at least three barangay officials in each of the city’s 128 barangays to implement the duties and responsibilities attached to the newly created Anti-Road Obstruction Task Force along major roads in the city.
The local chief executive pointed out the significant effect of the simultaneous removal of the license plates and the confiscation of the driver’s licenses of vehicles illegally parked in the narrow streets of the barangays will be realized if the efforts of barangay officials will be done all at the same time.
“We already requested the concerned barangay officials to submit the list of the barangay officials who will be deputized by the DOTC-CAR so that they will start clearing the roads in their barangays from the obstructions, especially illegally parked vehicles, to help decongest the traffic congestions around the city,” Domogan stressed.
He expressed his gratitude to the support being extended to the creation of the Anti-Road Obstruction Task Force, saying that the reinvigorated campaign of the local government to curb illegal parking around the city will definitely send a message to vehicle owners that they must locate their permanent parking areas that do not obstruct the smooth flow of pedestrian and vehicular traffic around the city.
According to him, it is also time for concerned barangays to consult their constituents to locate available open spaces that could be used as common parking areas for vehicle owners in their barangays to ease the congestions along narrow streets and lessen complaints from the public on the proliferation of illegally parked vehicles that obstruct pedestrian and vehicular traffic.
Domogan asserted the only way to solve the worsening traffic congestions around the city is for vehicle owners to cooperate with the standing policy of the local government against obstructions and for them to already work out the put up of parking spaces for their vehicles not only in their private properties but also in their neighborhood to encourage common parking among neighbors.
Initially, law enforcers already started implementing the administrative order that created the Anti-Road Obstruction Task Force and that the deputation of barangay officials is being awaited to fully implement the provisions of the order in the barangay level.
In order to encourage barangay officials to be aggressive in clearing barangay roads from obstructions, Domogan revealed that the fines to be collected from owners of illegally parked vehicles will be divided between the city and the barangays concerned on a 70-30 percent sharing scheme to add up to the internally generated resources of the barangays that could be used for the priority development projects and basic services for their constituents.
By Dexter A. See
