MMDA drops towing firm

MANILA, Philippines - The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) yesterday removed a towing firm from its list of accredited companies for illegally towing a car in Quezon City last month.

The MMDA’s legal and legislative affairs unit found that Arcson Towing Services towed the car owned by complainant Kirsten Uy de Baron despite not having proof that it was illegally parked in front of a supermarket on Broadway Avenue on May 23.

The MMDA had earlier suspended Arcson’s accreditation indefinitely to allow the agency to investigate De Baron’s complaint, which was posted on Facebook.

The agency also said Arcson’s personnel gravely abused their authority by towing De Baron’s car.

In a statement, Chairman Emerson Carlos said the MMDA had repeatedly invited Arcson personnel involved in the incident but no one showed up to air their side.

He said the MMDA has ordered Arcson “to immediately stop its operations… May this case be a lesson to all abusive tow truck personnel.”

According to the Facebook post of Trix Lareza-Clasara, De Baron’s sister, De Baron was pushing her grocery cart outside the supermarket at around 11 a.m. when her driver called her on her mobile phone.

She said her driver told her that her Isuzu MU-X was being towed by a tow truck with plate number AVA 4494. The driver said the towing firm personnel asked for her car keys.

De Baron said she tapped on her car’s window and asked the tow firm worker driving it to pull over. The driver and his companion were wearing t-shirts with the MMDA logo.

The worker driving her car demanded P4,000 as her “penalty” for a “serious offense” and told her and her driver to get in the car to “talk things over,” De Baron said. They did not specify the offense.

De Baron said the other towing firm worker in the car warned them that the car was going to be impounded unless they could come to a settlement.

She said the towing firm personnel refused to give their names or present identification cards.

They had her talk to their “boss” on their mobile phone, who told her it was up to the workers to release her car, De Baron said.

She said the second towing firm worker asked her how much they could give. “This confirmed my suspicions that this was an illegal, elaborate and premeditated scam,” De Baron said.

She said the towing firm personnel only agreed to release her car after her husband caught up to them along Ortigas Avenue.

De Baron said they unhooked her car from the tow truck when her husband insisted that they tow her car and give her an official MMDA receipt, as well as their names and the names of their superior.

LTFRB wants towing firms regulated  

Meanwhile, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) wants to regulate towing companies after 25 personnel of private towing firms tested positive for drug use.

LTFRB board member Ariel Inton said yesterday they are studying the legal basis for regulating these firms as they are also engaged in the public transportation business.

He said that the LTFRB will sanction firms that have committed franchise violations even if they are accredited by the MMDA as it does not mean immunity from the board.  –With Robertzon Ramirez