A former councilor of Bacolod City is asking members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod to suspend the renewal of accreditation of Metro Towing Services (MTS) and/or desist automatic renewal of its Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), until the required bidding for contract of services has been conducted.
Former Bacolod Councilor Archie Baribar is requesting the suspension of the accreditation of MTS due to lack of bidding.
Councilor Al Victor Espino, chair of the Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on Laws, Ordinances and Good Government, said the letter of Baribar was accepted by his committee and was forwarded to the City Mayor’s Office for the legal opinion of the City Legal Office.
Espino said the bidding is not needed because the transaction of the city and the MTS is not applicable under the Republic Act 9184, or the National Procurement Act.
The implementation of the towing with regards to the traffic measure of the city has no exclusivity.
The MOA has complied with the ordinance, he added.
City Legal Office Romeo Carlos Ting Jr. also said that the services of MTS in the city, particularly in towing, is not illegal, as implied by Baribar.
Ting said the city is open to accept any towing firm who would like to extend their services as long as they have accreditation with the Sanggunian.
Meanwhile, Espino said that another issue raised by Baribar is the sharing of the collection from the proceeds in the apprehension of violators because only 25 percent goes to the city while the 75 percent goes to the MTS.
The MTS has the biggest share for every vehicle towed because the city has no equipment and services being extended, he said.
Baribar’s vehicle was reportedly towed on December 15, where he was made to pay the amount of P2,100.
(Chrysee Semillano via The Visayan Daily Star (TVDS), photo courtesy by TVDS)
