LTO to assist ‘Task Force Red Plate’

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) said yesterday it would help the Office of the Ombudsman run after persons using government vehicles for unauthorized purposes, which results in wasted fuel.

"We are always ready to support these kinds of endeavors. As of now, we are continuously reporting to the Office of the President (OP) and have reported unauthorized use of red plate vehicles," LTO chief Assistant Secretary Anneli Lontoc said.

Lontoc said while the LTO was willing to even apprehend drivers using government vehicles for unofficial purposes, the agency will be restricted to monitoring and reporting violators to Malacañang.

A lot of times, these vehicles are spotted at shopping malls and nightclubs.

"Huhulihin namin ang government vehicles for violation of traffic rules, but if they are used for unauthorized trips, we can only report them to the OP as instructed," she said.

Earlier Ombudsman Ma. Merceditas Gutierrez said there was a need to stop the practice to prevent fuel waste.

Gutierrez formed Task Force Red Plate, which calls for the deployment of secret agents to ensure that government vehicles which sport red license plates are not used for unofficial purposes. 

The Ombudsman said she has received several complaints that government vehicles are often being used to fetch relatives of public officials and government employees from schools and offices. – Sandy Araneta