LTO: Drivers exploit lack of LGU citation records

The Land Transportation Office has no record of ordinance violation receipts (OVRs) issued by local governments, a situation that allows drivers to ignore fines and secure another license, an LTO official said yesterday.

LTO chief Alberto Suansing said that the lack of centralized traffic records, particularly from Makati City, prompts drivers to declare their license lost and apply for a replacement at LTO offices.

“Confiscated drivers license are piling up in local government units,” Suansing told transport leaders during a dialogue at the LTO central office along East Avenue in Quezon City.

The drivers sought the help of the national government in putting an end to the issuance of the OVRs, which they described as an anomalous practice by some local government units.

Transport coalition 1-Utak spokesman Orlando Marquez said in a manifesto submitted to Suansing that some local governments impose stiff penalties for traffic violations. Marquez cited that a driver found guilty of obstruction could be fined P500 by a local government traffic enforcer, compared to the penalty of P150 for obstruction as prescribed by the Land Transportation Code.

The drivers also complained of a quota system imposed on local traffic enforcers, who get commissions from fines paid by erring drivers, and the enforcers’ practice of taking their licenses despite a Supreme Court ruling that they are not allowed to do so.

Makati City-based drivers also complained about a city ordinance requiring them to secure a driver’s identification card for P100, and another ordinance imposing a fine of P1,000 should they post signboards not issued by the local government.

“But if you buy a signboard from Makati Traffic Office there are no apprehensions and this is worth P300 per piece,” the manifesto said.