Olivarez clarifies parking lot incident

MANILA, Philippines — Parañaque Mayor Eric Olivarez yesterday denied owning a car that was illegally parked in a space designated for persons with disability (PWD) in Sucat.

In a statement, Olivarez said they received reports about an incident at a wholesale store’s parking lot on Oct. 7. The owner of the car allegedly used the mayor’s name as “an excuse to justify their actions.”

“I was not around the area last Saturday because, at the time, we were attending different activities conducted by the city government of Parañaque,” he said.

Olivarez said he and the city government “vehemently condemn” actions of public officials who use their power to take advantage and those who misuse the name of public servants to justify their actions.

The Parañaque mayor said the car owner must be held accountable. The city government has called the attention of the store’s management to conduct an investigation into the matter.

Olivarez said that the city government will take “all necessary and prompt actions” should the car owner involved in the incident be found, even if they are a public official or working in the local government.

“We shall also take measures to prevent any further incidents like this in the future,” Olivarez said.

In a Facebook post of Visor PH, an unidentified individual recounted how he or she saw the person who came out of the car that was parked on the PWD space and told him that he could not park there. The car owner responded in a “sarcastic and condescending tone” and left.

The person noted that there were still other parking slots available.

He or she then reported the incident to the store’s customer service where a manager responded to the issue, but the car owner had left.

According to the manager, as related in the post, the car was allegedly “the mayor’s.”