DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 6 October) – A city councilor is pushing for an amendment to the 13-year-old Comprehensive Transport and Traffic Code of Davao City that will authorize police and traffic enforcers to use wheel clamps or tire locks to immobilize illegally parked vehicles along the streets.
Once passed, the proposed ordinance authored by First District Councilor Luna S. Acosta, chairperson of the committee on peace and public safety, will be known as “Wheel Clamping of Illegally Parked Vehicles Ordinance of Davao City,” prescribing penalties for violators.
According to the eight-page draft ordinance, the existing penalties for illegal parking in the city are not “sufficient deterrents” to discourage motorists from parking along roadsides, which obstructs traffic flow, endangers road users, and contributes to traffic congestion.
The proposed measure states that it is “necessary to adopt such a measure to strengthen the enforcement of traffic regulations, protect public safety, and promote orderliness on city roads.”
Acosta’s proposed amendment states that the “use of a wheel clamp or tire lock is a recognized enforcement tool in various highly urbanized cities in the Philippines and abroad, effectively immobilizing illegally parked vehicles until proper penalties and charges are settled.”
Based on the committee report, the proposed amendment seeks to insert a new provision titled “Clamping on Illegally Parked Vehicles” into the city’s existing Traffic Code upon the proposal of the City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO) “to establish clear authority for the clamping of illegally parked vehicles and to notify the public that certain streets are designated no parking zones.”
The passage of the local measure is sought to “strengthen parking enforcement, improve road safety, and ensure smoother traffic flow across the city,” according to the report.
The proposed ordinance will cover vehicles parked in prohibited areas such as intersections or crosswalks under Section 46 of Republic Act No. 4136, also known as the Land Transportation and Traffic Code; City Ordinance No. 0334-12 or the Comprehensive Transport and Traffic Code or in sidewalks, loading & unloading bays, paths, or alleys not intended for vehicular parking; those found to be non-compliant to the existing Pay-Parking Ordinance of Davao; and those found in the clamping zones under the proposed ordinance.
Once approved, the CTTMO will be authorized to declare streets as “clamping zones.” The agency will be directed to install appropriate traffic signs indicating the clamping areas on all affected highways, streets, and roads.
Under Section 7 of the proposed measure, the designated clamping zones will include “all designated and identified pay parking zones.” It further provides that a vehicle is considered “illegally parked and is subjected to clamping when it is parked beyond “expiration of time” within pay parking zones.
During committee hearings held on September 24, 2024, and August 13 and 20, 2025, two priority areas were identified for pilot testing: Sandawa (Guillermo E. Torres Street), from the corner of Quimpo Boulevard to the corner of MacArthur Highway; and Ecoland Drive, from the Corner of Quimpo Boulevard to the Corner of Tulip Drive.
Owners of clamped vehicles shall pay the corresponding citation ticket for the clamping fee at the City Treasurer’s Office: P2,000 for light vehicles and P5,000 for trucks and other heavy vehicles.
It also prohibits any person or group of people to tamper with the seal of the City Government of Davao or the information sticker found on the wheel clamp or tire lock; remove or tamper with the wheel clamp or tire lock or replace the clamped wheel that immobilizes the vehicle; and cause damage to the wheel clamp or tire lock by moving or attempting to move the vehicle, or removing, attempting to remove, destroy or attempting to destroy the wheel clamp or tire lock. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)
