Engineer assails towing of his car

CEBU City Hall will look into the complaints raised by an engineer and Barangay Kalunasan resident against One Stop Towing Services, who towed his vehicle parked outside a hospital during an emergency last May 16.

Nestor Aviso Sr. complained to City Administrator Francisco Fernandez at City Hall yesterday morning about the towing, which he said happened in front of Cebu Doctors’ Hospital where parking is allowed after 7 p.m.


Aviso parked his car by the roadside at around midnight of May 16, before rushing inside the hospital to attend to his niece who was giving birth.

The baby died at childbirth while his niece needed to have blood transfusion. He had rushed to the hospital to help his niece.

He said that when he went out to get his valuables in the car, including a large sum of money, he was surprised to learn that his Mitsubishi Adventure was gone.

Thinking that his car was stolen, Aviso panicked but was later told by vendors that it was towed.

Aviso told Fernandez that he was surprised that the vehicle was towed when the street sign said that the area was a “no parking” zone from Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. only.

He also complained about the towing employees’ arrogance when he confronted them about the incident and explained why he parked there.

“I tried to explain to the people in the stockyard of One Stop Towing but nobody entertained me. When I chanced upon a tow
truck and asked about my vehicle, they denied that they were the ones who towed my car and they hurriedly left. The sheer arrogance of these people,” Aviso said.

He handed Fernandez his formal letter of complaint and a copy of the receipt for the P2,300 payment to City Traffic Operations and Management (Citom). Aviso said he will also submit a copy of his complaint to the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas.

Aviso already complained to the anti-graft office but was told to write it down.

Decongest

“Their reason for towing is to decongest the traffic. What do they have to decongest on the wee hours of the morning?” Aviso asked Fernandez.

The engineer is the first to personally complain to the city administrator about the towing activities.

“This arrogance has to be looked into, and the way they transact business... The complaint is valid. We will act on it immediately. We’re very sorry this has happened. I know it’s too late but at least for now, we are allowing parking outside the hospitals,” Fernandez told the complainant.

Aviso also asked why there is no towing outside St. Peter’s Memorial Chapel at the downtown area, where they held the vigil for his grandchild.

“Outside the hospital, they will tow your car even during an emergency, but outside the funeral home, they won’t. Do you have to die first before these towing firms respect you?” he told Fernandez.

City Traffic Operations Management executive director Arnel Tancinco and Citom legal counsel Rico Abellanosa were also given copies of the complaint.

One of many

Aviso is just one of the many motorists who have complained about the towing companies deputized by Citom.

Last week, 32-year-old Freddie Teopez was mauled allegedly by employees of One Stop Towing after the tow truck rammed
into their motorcycle, when they refused to stop for fear they will be apprehended for not wearing helmets.

Earlier this month, One Stop Towing employees accused Tinago Barangay Councilor Joel Garganera of threatening them and stealing the memory card of their camera, after an altercation over a towing incident.

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