Makati suspends driver’s license confiscation

MANILA, Philippines — Traffic enforcers of the Makati City government are no longer confiscating the driver’s licenses of erring motorists.

The local government’s public safety department instructed traffic enforcers on Dec. 13 to confiscate the driver’s licenses of motorists caught violating traffic rules and regulations.

“Once a motorist commits a traffic offense, the enforcer will issue an ordinance violation receipt without confiscating their respective driver license,” Makati public safety department head Michael Arthur Camina said in a memorandum.

Camina said motorists are given five days to pay the corresponding fines issued by the city government.

If the penalty is not settled within this period, the city government will file charges against the driver.

Makati and the 16 other local government units (LGUs) in Metro Manila have earlier agreed to suspend the confiscation of driver’s licenses of erring motorists to give way to the creation of a proposed single ticketing system in the region.

Their decision was based on the request of Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos to impose a moratorium on confiscating driver’s licenses in Metro Manila.

Abalos explained that the Land Transportation Office and the LTO’s deputized agencies are authorized to confiscate driver’s licenses.