BAGUIO CITY – The City Council approved on first reading a proposed ordinance prohibiting unregistered vehicles from plying the various roads around the city.
The ordinance authored by Councilor Benny Bomogao stated that the local government shall not allow unregistered vehicles being used for public conveyance to travel, park or use any road or to maintain loading terminals within the city.
The local legislative measure said the local government shall uphold the primordial interest of the riding public for safe and healthy transportation which shall not be compromised by the proliferation of unregistered vehicles, commonly known as colorum.
Under the proposed ordinance, vehicles covered shall include buses, jeepneys, taxi units, utility vehicles (U.V.) express, school service and private vehicles.
Any unregistered vehicle shall be apprehended and issued traffic citation ticket by any member of the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) or its duly deputized agents. The driver’s license of the unregistered vehicle and one of the plate numbers of the colorum vehicle shall be confiscated by the apprehending officers.
The measure specified police auxiliaries or barangay tanods may be deputized by the City Mayor or the BCPO City Director to help enforce the approved policy.
The proponent explained the failure of the driver or owner of the vehicle to show the certificate of registration and certificate of public conveyance is a prima facia evidence of being an unregistered vehicle.
The ordinance empowers the City Mayor to create a separate task force to effectively and efficiently enforce the ordinance to the fullest to prevent the proliferation of unregistered vehicles plying the city’s streets.
An unregistered vehicle found violating the provisions of the ordinance shall be penalized by a fine of P5,000 for the first offense, the subject vehicle shall also be impounded for a period of 15 days and could be released upon the payment of the impounding fee of P5,000 and additional fee of P500 per day after the lapse of the 15-day grace period until it is retrieved. Second-time violators shall be fined P5,000 while the vehicle will be impounded for 30 days and only released upon payment of an impounding fee of P15,000; third and succeeding offenders shall pay a fine of P5,000 and the vehicle shall only be released upon the payment of 25 percent of the appraised value. Valuation shall be initially done by the City General Services Office.
Any disagreement on the valuation of the unregistered vehicle shall be settled by the contending parties in the proper court and the owner shall be imprisoned for a period of 30 up to 60 days at the discretion of the court.
The proponent claimed colorum vehicles is causing prejudicial to the economic interests of legitimate operators of registered public utility vehicles, and they also worsen traffic congestions in the city.
By Dexter A. See
