Former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) traffic operations chief Edison “Bong” Nebrija praised a car owner who turned over a new leaf after being flagged for illegal parking at least five times.
Nebrija on Thursday shared a screengrab of a comment section of an automobile publication’s post which featured a Toyota Revo being impounded by the MMDA fivefold for the offense.
The screengrab showed his supposed conversation with the owner of the vehicle reported.
“Ako ‘yung na-impound ng 4x (four times) sa Caloocan. May garahe na po ako ngayon,” the unnamed owner wrote in the comments with a grinning-with-sweat emoji.
“Garahe” or “grahe” refers to a place where people can keep their cars when not in use.
“Is that ‘yung Crosswind?” Nebrija answered in the comments.
The car owner said that the vehicle was now in the color “pink.”
Their brief exchange was lauded by Nebrija, who was happy at how the car owner had changed.
“There are car owners we are still waiting for to change, but there are some who have embraced change and have already [adapted],” he said on Facebook on January 4.
“Consistency is the key. ‘Di bale, ako na magse-seminar [diyan],” Nebrija added with emojis of a thumbs up and the Philippine flag.
His post has earned 2,200 likes and love reactions and 87 comments so far.
The article, published on TopGear Philippines on January 2, reported a video of the MMDA towing the illegally parked vehicle which has been flagged an estimated five times already for the same offense.
“Regular customer of the MMDA impound,” the video caption, posted by “Gadget Addict,” reads.
“This car has been ticketed and towed more times than I can remember — highlighting the obvious need for increased penalties for repeat violators. Illegally parked vehicles add to traffic, congestion and accidents,” the page added.
TopGear said that the vehicle was “caught illegally parked on the sidewalk somewhere in Caloocan City.”
“Do you remember when the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) pointed out how motorists caught for illegal parking just keep returning as soon as road-clearing operations are over? Well, here’s some proof,” its article said.
The MMDA considers a vehicle as illegally parked if it is “parked in areas prohibited by existing law or ordinance for parking purposes or those designated by the MMDA and/or the local government units (LGUs) as NO PARKING areas or zones.”
Areas which are prohibited for parking in Metro Manila include national roads and primary and secondary roads of cities and municipalities in the capital region.
Primary and secondary roads include sidewalks, pedestrian crosswalks and in front of authorized driveways, among others.