The Metro Manila Development Authority on Friday launched a mobile application aimed to stop illegal towing operations.
“There’s the good thing in it, there will be an active participation with the public. It’s a free download app,” MMDA Towing and Impounding chief Victor Nuñez said.
”With this app, there will be no more overpricing. It will show the exact distance in kilometres from the point of origin to the Ultra so the owner of the towed vehicle will know how much to pay,” Nuñez added.
MMDA Chairman Emerson Carlos said the “iTow application,” through the Pureforce Citizens app, will be available for all smartphones, both in android and iOS platforms, to provide an online venue dedicated to towing operations.
He said the agency came up with the new mobile application in a bid to stop illegal towing operations.
“Motorists will now have extra protection against illegal towing operations through this app. As such, they can immediately report or complain of anomalous activities,” Carlos said.
Users of the iTow app can report illegal towing operations directly to the MMDA Command Center and motorists can also ask for assistance in any emergency, particularly on the road, through the app.
The areas initially covered by the app are those included in the Mabuhay Lanes, where the agency has been conducting operations against illegally parked vehicles.
Based on the regulations, the Mabuhay lanes should be cleared of any kinds of obstructions 24 hours a day.
The 17 Mabuhay Lanes are alternative routes to the 23.8-kilometer Epifanio de los Santos Avenue. These cover the cities of Mandaluyong, San Juan, Makati, Manila and Quezon City. They also include secondary roads going to shopping destinations in Metro Manila such as Baclaran in Parañaque, Greenhills in San Juan, Divisoria, and Carriedo in Manila.
Carlos said the app, incorporated in the Pureforce Emergency Response System, will rely primarily on the closed-circuit television cameras of the MMDA as well as reports sent in by traffic enforcers and field personnel, particularly in areas where there are no surveillance cameras.
Traffic enforcers, as well as accredited private towing companies, will be provided with tablets with the app which is linked to MMDA’s Metrobase.
Photos of vehicles to be towed must be taken using the tablet, then sent to Metrobase for verification. If the vehicle must be towed, a reference number will be sent to the tow truck operators / traffic enforcers by the dispatcher from Metrobase.
The public can download the app for free.
On Wednesday, the MMDA announced that 25 out of the 377 towing firm personnel tested positive for drug use.
The drug test is in line with the agency’s new policy to stop extortion and other illegal activity involving towing firms.
Carlos said the towing personnel found to be using illegal drugs were immediately terminated by their respective companies and were put on blacklist and are now banned from entering the MMDA impounding area.
Two weeks ago, the MMDA suspended the accreditation of Arcson Towing Services following the complaint of Kristen Ann Uy Baron who claimed that two men took the keys of her car because it was illegally parked at Savemore Broadway in Quezon City.
Baron said the two men asked P4,000 from her or risk being impounded at Ultra in Pasig but she refused.
At present, there are 30 accredited towing firms and more than 100 tow trucks operating in the metropolis.