TABUK CITY, Kalinga – The Land Transportation Office (LTO) will no longer tolerate ineffectivity among deputized traffic enforcers in the city and province.
This developed after LTO Regional Director Joel Jose Eduardo Natividad directed the 80 newly deputized traffic enforcers to submit a minimum of 10 apprehensions monthly as their quota utilizing their Temporary Operator’s Permit (TOP).
He said that this is a strategy to pre-empt traffic violators who most of the time are causing the increasing traffic accidents in the province especially in Tabuk City where most of the ‘death due to vehicular traffic accidents (VTA)’ are reported in the region.
“Use the TOP as a tool to deter vehicular traffic accidents, traffic violations and criminal activities,” he said explaining that as a strategy, personnel from the Philippine National Police, the LTO and
LGU would be conducting a regular joint operation to avert any problems with resistant motorists who do not want to comply with the law.
“This will be the standard operations procedure around the region,” he said.
Natividad said that since the issuance of LTO TOP is a serious mandate, recipients have to comply with their orders. Those who could not meet the monthly quota would be given a warning on the
first offense and revocation of the TOP for the second offense.
Outstanding enforcers he said will be given incentives and recognition by LTO-CAR and demerit for those who were not able to comply with their responsibilities.
“They should have to prove they are worthy of the responsibility,” Natividad said.
Natividad said that the 10 deputized enforcers coming from the ranks of the Public Order and Safety Office (POSO) of the city have the discretion to use the City Traffic Ordinance or LTO ticketing system, but he directed that serious traffic violators and habitual violators should be issued with LTO tickets to teach them a lesson.
He said that in most cases, traffic violators don’t heed traffic issuance by the local government considering their very low penalties compared to the steeper fines of the LTO which is designed to realistically regulate and control traffic violations.
The Director also pointed out that deputized officers could also help apprehend drug traffickers and other criminal activities using motorized vehicles providing the participants some pointers on how to detect such activities without violating the rules of proper traffic security check and the rights of the riding public.
Natividad expressed his gratitude to Tabuk City LGU for funding the conduct of the deputization seminar on September 21-22.**By Geraldine Gacuya
