Bohol police chief says “clamping done in a bad light”
By Bohol Island News Staff | 10:15 AM September 21, 2019
The photo of a police car of Alburquerque Police Station was recently the subject of a post on social media platform Facebook after it was clamped last Monday.
Their vehicle was parked near Gov. Celestino Gallares Hospital at around 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 16 when the clamping happened.
Facebook users were quick to share the post after a certain Kenny Lao Co posted it on the Balitang Pulis Facebook Group on Thursday, Sept. 19.
There were those who bashed the police force for illegally parking in the area while there were those who suggested waiting for the explanation of why it was there in the first place.
On Friday, Sept. 20, Police Col. Jonathan Cabal, acting Provincial Director of the Bohol Provincial Police Office (BPPO), reacted to the post.
In his official statement posted on Boholppo inAction Facebook account, Cabal shared the reason why the police car was parked in that manner.
“This is not what appears to be. The patrol sent an injured person from Alburquerque to a Tagbilaran hospital, Gallares Memorial Hospital. The injured were from Oslob who happened to have drifted to Albur from a sea voyage. The clamping was done in bad light, making the police violators of traffic rules despite assisting the injured.”
The officers who were on board the vehicle were made to pay the fines before they were allowed to drive the vehicle off.
‘THEY’RE JUST DOING THEIR JOB’
In her letter addressed to Col. Cabal, Tagbilaran City administrator Cathelyn Torremocha clarified that the traffic enforcers were just following procedure.
“It was not our intention to inconvenience the police officers,” she said in her letter dated Sept. 20, 2019.
She said the traffic officers were not apprised of the situation despite efforts to locate the driver of the patrol car.
Torremocha said the city will refund the clamping fee that the police officers from Alburquerque Police Station had paid them last Monday.
CITY GOVERNMENT VEHICLE ALSO CLAMPED
Last July 30, Tagbilaran City Mayor John Geesnell “Baba” Yap posted a photo of the clamped vehicle of the city government on his Facebook page.
Yap said he posted it to show that even those vehicles owned by the city itself are not exempted from traffic fines.
The city government began its full implementation of the clamping ordinance since September 1, 2016.
Under the Towing and Clamping Ordinance of the city, drivers of illegally parked vehicles including motorcycles and tricycles are asked to pay fines ranging from P200 up to P1,000.