Joint committee tackles PWD discrimination and pay parking issues

THE City Council’s committees on social services and on public utilities had a joint meeting to address urgent issues surrounding the alleged discrimination against a person with disability (PWD) and concerns regarding pay parking policies of the Pueblo de Oro Business Park.

Presided over by Councilor Jonjon Rodriguez, the meeting stemmed from a special report he previously delivered detailing an incident in which a PWD was allegedly discriminated against and had her vehicle clamped by personnel of the Pueblo de Oro Association of Commercial and Institutional Establishments (PACE).

The case raised legal and ethical questions regarding the authority of private entities to clamp vehicles and its broader implications on the rights of PWDs.

The committee also discussed a communication from Mr. Astrid Jose A. Bana, President of the Federation of Uptown Village Homeowners Associations, Inc. (FUVHOAs), citing public concern over burdensome pay parking policies in the area.

Clarifications were sought from the Roads and Traffic Administration (RTA), the Business Permits and Licensing Division, and the City Legal Office on the legality of clamping practices and the authority to issue parking tickets.

In the interest of due process and comprehensive deliberation, the joint committee gave PACE two weeks to submit a formal position paper. A follow-up meeting will be scheduled to further examine the issue and arrive at a legally sound resolution.

Present during the meeting were Vice Mayor Bebot Rodriguez, Councilors Paolo Gaane, Gigi Go, George Goking, Roger Abaday, Aga Suan, and Imee Moreno, along with key resource persons and other concerned stakeholders. (JDO/SP/Photos from Councilor Rodriguez's FB page)