CEBU, Philippines — Starting today, August 1, 2023, all impounded vehicles in Mandaue City may be redeemed by the owners without having to pay the accumulated storage fees.
The Mandaue City government starts implementing today the ordinance that grants amnesty to the owners of impounded vehicles.
“Palihug lukata ug kuhaa ni inyong mga impounded nga mga sakyanan nga nasulod sa 2020 hangtod sa tuig 2022 kay mao na ni ang inyong gipaabot nga kahigayunan nga makuha pagbalik inyo mga sakyanan sa ubos kaayo nga presyo,” said Hyll Retuya, legal and administrative head of the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (TEAM).
Retuya said that the amnesty program is only good for three months or until November of this year.
“Kay ang amnesty program dili kanunay ug walay garantiya nga mobalik pa kini nga kahigayunan,” Retuya added.
According to Retuya, there are 553 vehicles (motorycycles, cars and tricycles) currently impounded in the city’s impounding area.
The ordinance allows the owners of the impounded vehicles to only pay P1,000 instead of the accumulated storage fees from the time of the impounding until December 2022.
The amnesty is also a way of decongesting the city’s impounding area as it has already reached its full capacity resulting in the city government’s looking for another area for impounding.
“The City Government of Mandaue, in an effort to encourage payment for unpaid storage fees, and accelerate the TEAM's efficient collection, decided to grant relief and/or amnesty to the declared owners of the impounded vehicles which remained unclaimed for the past three (3) years,” read part of the ordinance.
The ordinance stated that the payment of ?1,000 for the accumulated storage fee shall not be construed as waiver to the payment of penalty, towing fee, surcharge, and all other fees, if any, as reflected in the Traffic Citation Ticket.
“Payment of the entire amount shall be paid in full to the City Treasurer's Office before an impounded vehicle shall be released by the TEAM,” it said
It added that an impounded vehicle which is not classified as a Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) shall be released without need of an evaluation of its driver's previous traffic violation. — (FREEMAN)