By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
At the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) press briefing held on Wednesday, April 23, the agency reaffirmed its partnership with the Land Transportation Office (LTO) towards safeguarding the welfare of road users from abusive motorists.
The fruits of this collaboration is evident during the Holy Week period, in which a total of 671 motorists had their driver’s licenses suspended for their involvement in vehicular accidents and other road safety violations.
Chief among them are drivers of public utility vehicles (PUVs), who tested positive for usage of illicit substances at the random and surprise drug tests conducted by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) at the height of the Holy Week exodus.
A total of 1,165 show cause orders (SCOs) were also issued by the LTO to motor vehicle owners whose automobiles failed at random roadworthiness inspections conducted by the agency in the same timeframe.
“This is really unprecedented on the part of the LTO na napakarami ang na-suspend na driver’s license at napakarami din ang ma-iisyuhan ng show cause orders, all in relation to traffic violations and road safety rules,” said Asec. Mendoza.
“We never really reached this level before but we will work double time on this because as our [Transportation] Secretary Vince Dizon said, road safety will not be compromised,” he added.
In the same press briefing, Secretary Dizon announced the revocation of the driver’s license of a bus driver in the viral video of an overspeeding bus in La Union wherein the passengers were heard begging the driver to slow down.
“We are today revoking his license, Mark Louie Burgos, driver of ESL bus company. As of today, wala na siyang lisensya, wala na siyang kabuhayan dahil sa ginawa niya,” the transportation czar said, emphasizing the gravity of the bus driver’s offense.
Upholding the law on Philippine thoroughfares
Secretary Dizon explained during the press briefing that the issuance of the driver’s license, especially for PUV drivers, is a privilege.
But he emphasized that such privilege comes with an obligation for them to contribute in ensuring discipline, road safety, and order in the interest of the commuting public and the rest of the road users.
With so many motorists brazenly disregarding the obligation as manifested by road accidents due to overspeeding that resulted in deaths, as well as 97 PUV drivers testing positive for illegal drugs, Dizon said these were all not acceptable.
“Hindi po katanggap-tanggap ito. Kung noong nakaraan, akala ng mga driver at operator na mga ito na walang gagawin ang gobyerno, ipapakita nating hindi natin papayagan ang mga ganitong klaseng pang-aabuso ng pribilehiyo na ibinibigay sa mga driver at operator ng mga bus at PUVs,” emphasized Dizon.
The renewed fight against erring motorists is in line with the mandate of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., urging the DOTr and the LTO to maximize government intervention through the strict implementation of existing laws and a thorough review of policies geared toward ensuring the safety of all road users.
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