More than 25,700 vehicles were impounded by the Metro Manila Development Authority following a series of anti-illegal parking operations conducted in various parts of the metropolis from January to July.
This developed as MMDA chairman Danilo Lim commended Chairman Dulio Cailles of Barangay Baclaran in Parañaque City who ordered the relief of a village watchman who figured in a heated argument with towing personnel conducting anti-illegal parking operations in the area last week.
Lim said other community leaders should emulate the move of Cailles to sack volunteer watchman Michael Edison Torres who reportedly threatened to gun down members of the towing crew accredited by the MMDA.
“We welcome such expression of support to our mission of clearing all roads in Metro Manila of all types of obstructions to improve the traffic situation,” he said.
The MMDA chief said members of the towing crew, with agency personnel, were just doing their jobs in hauling off illegally parked vehicles and other road obstructions.
“We stand by our personnel who are performing their duties but would not tolerate those abusive ones,” Lim said.
In a letter sent to Lim, Cailles said he has already dismissed Torres immediately after seeing a television news program showing MMDA supervising officer for operations Edison Nebrija reprimanding the watchman.
Nebrija confronted Torres after the latter reportedly accosted and threatened to shoot members of the towing crew during a recent anti-illegal parking operation along Airport Road in Baclaran.
Cailles said he has already ordered Torres to surrender his Identification Card, uniform and other equipment issued by the barangay to him because of the incident.
He added that his men also worked diligently and relentlessly cleared Baclaran’s major roads — Airport Road, Redemptorist Road, Quirino Avenue and the Roxas Boulevard Service Road — as well as its inner roads of all illegal obstructions, including illegal vendors and illegal parking.
“We have likewise held regular and periodic dialogue with street vendor leaders to ensure that they obey the traffic management rules and regulations set by the MMDA,” Cailles said.
Cailles also apologized to Lim for the action and demeanor of Torres towards the anti-illegal parking group.
“Rest assured that this incident will not happen again. I, together, with the Barangay Council, will conduct thorough evaluation of our personnel, especially volunteers,” he added.
Since the MMDA started the campaign, members of its Anti-Illegal Parking Operations Team apprehends a daily average of 70 to 100 vehicles.
President Rodrigo Duterte, during his second State of the Nation Address, mentioned that he wants all road in the country's biggest cities cleared of all illegally-parked vehicles to ensure a smooth flow of traffic in the metropolis.
The government's road and bridge projects will mean nothing if they will remain filled by illegally parked vehicles and other obstructions, said the President.
Duterte said he directed the MMDA and the local government units to immediately clear the roads and major thoroughfares of all unnecessary obstruction including vehicles parked on the street. He added he is planning to have a golden age of infrastructure under his term with big-ticket projects such as roads, airports, and bridges.