MMDA, NBI making it tougher for parking violators

Motorists with unpaid fines for illegal parking may find it hard to apply for a clearance with the National Bureau of Investigation  starting in March.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is currently in talks with the NBI to include these delinquent drivers on the bureau’s alarm list.

If implemented, the move would be the most drastic yet to be introduced by the MMDA to curb the perennial problem of illegal parking, one of the contributing factors to heavy traffic in the metropolis.

MMDA officer in charge and general manager Tim Orbos told reporters on Wednesday that the agency was finalizing with the NBI the implementing rules and regulations for the order, which is expected to take effect in March.

Once approved, motorists apprehended for illegal parking who have yet to pay the P500 fine will find their names on the NBI’s alarm list.

Until the fine is settled, the driver’s name will remain on the list, making it hard for them to get an NBI clearance, often a requirement for employment and, in some cases, visa applications.

“We need to implement this to [further] instill discipline [in motorists],” Orbos said.

According to the official, to ensure that streets in the metropolis will remain free of obstructions, the MMDA will also coordinate with the Office of the Ombudsman to penalize barangay officials who fail to keep roads under their jurisdiction free of illegally parked vehicles.

The MMDA, as part of the Interagency Council on Traffic, has towed close to 6,000 cars since August when it intensified the campaign against illegal parking.

There is a pending bill in the Senate banning the sale of vehicles to owners unable to show proof of parking space, a proposal backed by Orbos.