Truckers ask PNP’s help to stop abusive law enforcers

Officials of at least 30 trucking, alarmed over the rising cost of oil products, sought the help of Metro Manila police chief Director Geary Barias yesterday to curb extortion by abusive law enforcers, exorbitant towing fees, and gas theft.

The trucking firm officials said the cost of their daily operation has increased because they lose so much money to corrupt law enforcers and towing firms.

Barias promised to put up a 24-hour desk to act on truckers’ complaints.

The truckers explained that it is not the policemen who are abusive but the traffic enforcers maintained by local government units (LGUs).

They also told Barias that abusive towing firms have been charging them between P8,000 and P9,000 to redeem their vehicles.

“The sum is too much. We can recoup our losses only by charging our clients more which would also hurt their pockets,” a trucking firm owner said.

But since the problem with traffic enforcers and towing firms involves the LGUs, Barias said he will coordinate with the city and municipal mayors in Metro Manila to seek their help in addressing the truckers concerns.

Manila Police District (MPD) director Chief Superintendent Roberto Rosales, who joined Barias in the dialogue, asked the truckers to arm their fleet with a global positioning system (GPS) device to prevent “paihi” or gas theft and hijacking.

“With the GPS, the truckers can record the history of their fleet like the speed of the vehicle and the stretch it maneuvered while in operation. In the process they can determine how many kilometers the vehicle traveled and the gasoline it consumed,” said Rosales.

Rosales said arming trucks with GPS devices would cost its owners between P15,000 to P25,000 and a monthly subscription fee of P330, which is a small amount compared to the millions of pesos lost during hijacking and gas theft.

According to Rosales, a big number of truckers who attended the dialogue have shown interest in his proposal.