By Mary Judaline Partlow/PNA
DUMAGUETE CITY — The head of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) here said there is a need for deputized agents for successful law enforcement due to lack of manpower, which would conduct regular roadside operations and apprehend traffic violators.
LTO-Dumaguete District Office chief Alberta Janine Lawas said not all LTO employees are deputized for law enforcement, and many of them are also saddled with office work, especially the issuance of driver’s licenses and registration of motor vehicles.
“That is why we are hopeful that the PNP (Philippine National Police) in Negros Oriental would comply with the requirements of the LTO for the deputation of their personnel who had earlier attended a deputation seminar here,” Lawas said Thursday.
Currently, only four members of the Provincial Highway Patrol Team (PHPT) of the PNP – Highway Patrol Group (HPG) in Negros Oriental have received their renewed deputation orders from LTO-7 (Central Visayas).
The PHPT and other law enforcement agencies and individuals, such as the PNP, require a deputation order from the LTO before they can implement traffic laws and apprehend violators, Lawas said.
She added that the deputation orders were signed by LTO-7 OIC operations chief, Macario Getaruelas, and LTO-7 regional director Victor Emmanuel Caindec, and were received early this week by the recipients.
Those deputized were PHPT provincial chief Senior Insp. Silvestre Cenia Jr., SPO2 Aurelio Budo, and PO3s Jerome Nochefranca and Bayani Publico.
The deputation is effective from the start of this year until June 30, after which the deputation orders will have to be renewed, Lawas said.
Lawas expressed hope that the provincial police, headed by Senior Supt. Raul Tacaca, would complete all the necessary requirements for the deputation of the less than a hundred police personnel who attended the LTO’s deputation course in August last year.
The PHPT covers the entire Negros Oriental, and wherever they operate, they should be using the Temporary Operators Permit (TOP) from the LTO district office that has jurisdiction over the area, she said.
“This is to assure a smooth reporting and accountability of the TOPs from the different LTO offices,” Lawas added.
“But the PHPT personnel cannot possibly cover the entire province in the implementation of traffic laws.”
Negros Oriental has three district offices and these are in the cities of Bayawan, Dumaguete, and Bais.
