Photo by UP Cebu intern Chrys Chelsea Bernales
But with the approval of City Ordinance 211-2023, otherwise known as the Amnesty Program, impounded vehicles can be claimed by only paying a P1,000 storage fee along with the incurred violation and towing fees.
This is 10 times lower than the original costs, which range from P24,000 to P129,000 based only on impounded motorcycle fees, with a 100-peso daily cost in storage.
Team currently has 550 vehicles subject for the Amnesty Program.
The Amnesty Program only covers January 2020 to December 2022, so vehicles beyond the timeframe are not included.
Hyl Retuya, the Team Legal and Admin head, said the program will take effect starting August 1, 2023. It will run until October 31, 2023.
“Ang kantidad gyud ani niya is from P129,000 to P24,000 kung karon nimo siya i-claim kay kung nasud ni siya’g January 2020, P129,000 iyang mabayran… kung December 2022, P24,000. Buot huna-hunaon, dako na jud kaayo ni nga lugway,” he said.
(The range is from P129,000 to P24,000 if you claim it now because if it was impounded last January 2020, you will pay P129,000… if December 2022, P24,000. This is really a big difference.)
The Amnesty Program was crafted to also help in decongesting the Mandaue impounding area.
“Isa na ni sa mga solution sa pag decongest sa impounding area kay puno na man gyud kaayo nya mao sad ni usa sa among nakita nga dako-dako og impact ug resulta,” Retuya said.
(This is one of the solutions in decongesting the impounding area as it is already very full. We also saw how it would give the most impactful result in clearing the area.)
Retuya encouraged drivers to re-claim their vehicles within the three-month period to help cut their costs.
The City Ordinance 211-2023, authored by Councilor Jimmy Lumapas, chairman of the Committee on Transportation, was first passed on May 22, 2023, with the final reading conducted last July 3.
The money collected from impounded vehicles will all go to the General Funds, which affects the city’s income for all kinds of activities and projects.
But Retuya emphasized Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes’ thrust, “Serbisyo, Dili Negosyo,” saying the situation of the Mandauehanon matters more than anything else.
“After all, ang atoa nga dili lisud-lisuron ang mga Mandauehanon…rather than mangalata na lang na diha sa impounding area, mas maayo na lang ma dispose even at a very much lower price,” he said.
(After all, what we prioritize are the Mandauehanons… rather than make these vehicles rot in the impounding area, it is better to dispose them even at a very low price.) (Chrys Chelsea Bernales, UP Cebu Intern)
