City eyes inventory of impounded cars

CEBU - The Cebu City Council yesterday asked the City Traffic Operations Management to conduct inventory of all vehicles and other properties at the city’s impounding area at the North Reclamation Area and to come up with recommendation on how to dispose the unclaimed vehicles.

In a report he submitted to the council yesterday, Councilor Richard Osmeña confirmed that several vehicles have been cannibalized by still unidentified persons.

Osmeña has learned that some motorcycle owners have complained because some of their vehicles’ parts were stolen while they were being impounded. The matter was endorsed to the Citom’s legal section for further action.

Some of the councilors have wondered how the thieves managed to enter the compound undetected when in fact the impounding area is guarded 24 hours on two shifts by six members of the Barangay Intelligence Network that are under the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Branch.

Osmeña explained the impounding area is only lighted by five lamps and these are located at the back portion and there is no generator set that could be used in case of brownouts.

Thieves could get into the impounding area easily by passing at the back portion because the fences there are only made of giant culverts.

“Dispose office equipment, junked vehicles, waste materials like used tires, spare parts, batteries are placed at the back portion of the yard and grasses have grown tall and which covered portions of the things inside,” Osmeña said.

The councilor was surprised because nobody from the Citom and the General Service Office has knowledge how many vehicles, including some other properties owned by the City Hall, are impounded in the area.

The Commission on Audit earlier reminded the city officials of the policy that unclaimed impounded vehicles with no pending cases in courts, can be disposed of through auction sale.

A BIN member assigned at the impounding area was investigated recently by City Hall Ombudsman Orlando Secretario because of alleged involvement in the loss of some vehicle spare parts. —Rene U. Borromeo/WAB (THE FREEMAN)