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Chaos mars closure order against Jadewell

BAGUIO CITY (Jan. 27) — Chaos in some of the city’s parking spaces ensued when Jadewell Parking Systems (Jadewell) parking attendants refused to heed the mayor’s closure order covering some of the city’s major streets.

Despite Executive Order 010, signed by Baguio City Mayor Braulio D. Yaranon, for the closure of the Jadewell, and a public advisory for motorists not to pay parking fees to the private pay parking company, collection of parking fees continued along Session and Harrison Roads, Rizal Park, Calderon and Abanao Streets.

Jadewell Officer-in-charge Norma Tan said the collections continue because parking attendants explain to motorists that Jadewell does not heed Yaranon’s closure order.

“It should be the courts which should issue the order,” Tan said in an interview. She said, a motion for a Temporary Restraining Order has been filed at the Supreme Court on Jan. 27. Other cases have been filed at the Office of the President and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). “Naniniwala pa kami sa husgado,” Tan said explaining that the legal cases must resolve the issue and the legality of their actions.

Tan earlier said that the closure order Yaranon served on Monday was not acknowledged by Jadewell.

Yaranon, on the other hand said he did not have to go to court to enforce an ordinance or to revoke or cancel a business permit of an entity which is doing illegal transaction. He said that no local government can issue a business permit for the commercial use of private entities on any portion of public roads. Neither can any one appropriate for private business any public road or park, the mayor reiterated in a weekly forum with the media.

“We enforce this against the poor vendors, but here a private entity is occupying the streets as if these belonged to them,” the Mayor told the media. He said he is unveiling information so the public will know who is responsible for what he called the worst form of graft and corruption.

Yaranon, himself a former judge, said he is not just interpreting but applying existing laws, correcting an earlier notion that prompted a councilor to file a resolution to resolve what the councilor thought was merely a conflict of interpretation.

The mayor said he is ready to face any case filed against him resulting from his actions and said he would gladly go to prison for these.

On Monday afternoon when the order was served by the personnel of the City Mayor’s Public Order and Safety Division (POSD), tension ensued when the Jadewell staff tore and burned copies of the order. The POSD personnel put up a steel barricade at the entrance of the Burnham Parking lot near Ganza Restaurant.

On Jan. 25, there was another confrontation, this time between Jadewell parking attendants and workers of the park’s biking concession, who were apparently given permission to occupy the Skating Rink area which Jadewell used to control. This resulted in the hurting of one worker from each group. # Lyn V. Ramo for NORDIS

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