The City Council passed on Tuesday a proposed ordinance limiting the parking zones in crowded ares and increasing penalties for illegal parking based on the recommendations of the security cluster of the city.
On Sept. 9 this year, Col. Consolito Yecla, commander of the Task Force Davao (TFD), recommended to Vice Mayor Sebastian Duterte to increase the penalty for illegal parking to P2,000 from the current P500.
“This is to discourage riders/drivers from indiscriminately parking in crowded areas which make inspection and prevention of bombings/ED attacks utilizing vehicles difficult,” said Yecla.
The suggestion, Yecla said, is based on the IED attack, using motorcycle as a platform, in front of public market in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat on Sept. 7, 2019 which resulted in the wounding of eight civilians.
Furthermore, Yecla also suggested that all roads surrounding the places where people gather for religious, educational, and recreational purposes such as churches, mosques, markets, schools, parks, and government buildings should be declared as no parking areas.
The city will only identify roads where vehicles and motorcycles can park. He added that all areas inside of public markets are considered no parking areas.
Additionally, the TFD recommended that all roads and areas in San Pedro Square, as defined in the maximum security zone, be declared as no parking areas, except for the officially designated parking areas.
All motorcycle riders will also be compelled to open their utility box as part of the standard operating procedure during inspections.
“There shall be designated motorcycle inspection areas to be manned by locally hired auxiliary forces under the supervision of DCPO or TFD. Motorcycles are considered common conveyances, low costs, and easy to steal vehicles for terroristic purposes,” Yecla said.
“Motorcycles are also easy to be inserted and deployed in crowded areas for terrorism. Also, the terrorists in Mindanao were observed to have perfected the art of placing IEDs inside the motorcycle utility box,” he added.
The TFD also said parking areas should not be used as loitering areas of individuals. Additional parking schemes may be imposed during big events, special occasions, and holidays to ensure security in the area.
