CEBU CITY — Tension flared in a mountain barangay where this city’s famous flower gardens are located after several vehicles were clamped by personnel of Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) on Saturday, August 12.

A VEHICLE is clamped while parked near the flower gardens in Barangay Sirao, Cebu City where tension between traffic enforcers and residents took place on Saturday, August 12. (Contributed photo by Ericson Lim)

Videos of the commotion involving traffic enforcers and some civilians have been circulating on social media.

As a result of the incident, the CCTO has been bombarded with negative comments for allegedly clamping vehicles that had been parked in designated parking areas for tourists visiting the flower gardens.

Some netizens also criticized the CCTO for enforcing traffic rules in mountainous areas when the traffic is in the metropolis.

But Raquel Arce, chief of CCTO, said there was nothing irregular with the operation as traffic enforcers only acted on complaints of illegal parking.

Arce said that for so many years, the city has a law that requires permits for off street parking.

Persons in the area claimed they didn’t know that such a law existed in their years of running an off-street parking in the area, Arce said.

“That’s no longer our fault if they didn’t know that such law exists,” said Arce.

Arce added that when she was named CCTO chief, one of the orders of Mayor Michael Rama was to enforce laws “that have been sleeping.”

Arce said they have received complaints of illegal parking in the area since last month.

She narrated that last Saturday, the CCTO received a similar complaint.

“The complaint was forwarded to the operations office and an order to create a team, to verify, to take action and to implement was made,” Arce said.

Traffic enforcers aboard three CCTO patrols went to the area to check on the complaint.

When CCTO personnel arrived, several vehicles were found parked near the flower gardens.

“A public address was made as a standard operating procedure. Drivers of the parked vehicles were asked to pull out in violation of the no parking signage. More than 10 vehicles pulled out and four did not. The four vehicles were clamped because they were considered unattended vehicles,” said Arce.

Arce said commotion broke out when some residents confronted the CCTO for personnel for clamping some of the parked vehicles.

She said some residents placed a rock under one of the CCTO vehicles so the vehicle could not pull out.

“They blocked the vehicles, they held our vehicles hostage. They struck our vehicles and they intimidated our personnel. For their own safety, our personnel decided to just unclamp the vehicles,” said Arce.

Arce said the CCTO is already in the process of identifying the persons who allegedly harassed the traffic enforcers.

Once the persons are identified based on the videos, the CCTO will file charges, Arce said.

“We are preparing all the evidence in order to file a case. We will file charges for disobedience and resistance to the person in authority, harassment, and grave threats,” Arce said.

A meeting between Sirao garden owners and city officials was held on Monday, August 14, at the City Hall.

One of those who attended the meeting was a garden owner who was caught on video with a gun tucked in his waist during the commotion.

Interviewed by reporters, Roger Bontuyan said the gun is licensed and he has a permit to carry a firearm.

In the meeting, Councilor Jerry Guardo disclosed the city’s plan to widen the road in the area.

“There is a road there that was reduced to one lane because of soil erosion. The plan is to expand the road from four to eight meters, from one lane to two lanes. The city will also address the erosion in the area,” said Guardo.

The road widening project has been planned since last year, Guardo added.

The road in Sirao will be temporarily closed once the widening project starts, said Guardo.

“This is part of the city’s move to support tourism in the area, widen the road and provide sufficient parking area,” said Guardo.