Parked illegally? Your barangay can call in the clamps

ILOILO CITY — The Traffic and Transportation Management Office (TTMO) has urged the public to report illegally parked vehicles in their barangays to help authorities identify areas that need clearing and clamping operations.

TTMO head Uldarico Garbanzos said reports from residents would help personnel identify more areas for enforcement, noting that the office already works with at least 140 of the city’s 180 barangays.

“Report or request a clearing operation in your area and we will schedule it to help you. However, it will be supported by a barangay resolution or barangay regulatory ordinance so that we have teeth in our operation, and we can do it during their monthly barangay road-clearing operation,” he said in an interview on Sept. 21.

Garbanzos described the office’s enforcement as a “cat and mouse” operation because its activities also depend on information the TTMO receives.

He added that the office also conducts what he called a “kangaroo” operation, in which personnel move from one area to another to enforce traffic regulations, resulting in surprise operations in some areas.

Apprehensions rising

TTMO data showed the city recorded 4,557 apprehensions involving light vehicles, including motorcycles, from January to July 2026. That is about 81% of the 5,656 apprehensions recorded in all of 2025.

For medium vehicles, the city recorded 74 apprehensions from January to July 2026, more than 2.5 times the 28 recorded in 2025.

Four apprehensions involving heavy vehicles were recorded during the same period in 2026, double the two recorded in 2025.

Garbanzos stressed that the TTMO would continue full enforcement of traffic laws, particularly clearing operations along major thoroughfares.

“We want to make it clear to those who illegally park, especially along our main thoroughfares and during our clearing operations in the barangays, that they cannot simply park anywhere they want,” he said.

He said the enforcement campaign was also intended to promote discipline among motorists.

“What we see is that this is where discipline should start among those who were issued driver’s licenses. They should understand that they cannot just ignore the regulations of the city,” he said.

He added that continued enforcement also deters illegal parking, as motorists alert one another when clamping is being conducted in an area.

He acknowledged that the operations could not cover all areas at once but said the office would sustain its enforcement efforts.

Removing clamps a separate offense

Garbanzos also warned that forcibly removing a wheel clamp from a vehicle constitutes another violation.

“It is in our regulation ordinance that if you destroy or forcibly remove the clamp, it is another violation,” he said, referring to Regulation Ordinance 2014-191, the city’s Wheel Clamp Ordinance.

He said TTMO personnel document clamping operations by photographing the vehicles and their plate numbers.

If a clamp or vehicle is found missing, the TTMO files a blotter report, he said.

The office also verifies the vehicle’s plate number with the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to identify its registered owner.

If the owner fails to appear within 72 hours, the TTMO will file a case against the owner, Garbanzos said.