BAGUIO CITY: The Land Transportation Office (LTO) welcomed the request of the city government to train and deputize its enforcers to allow them to implement traffic laws in the locality.
Francis Ray Almora, regional director of the LTO in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), in a phone interview on Wednesday also said they have gone to the different provinces for the training of agents that will be deputized.
“Trainings are regularly conducted for the agents,” he added.
He said while they have the mandate to enforce traffic and transportation laws, as well as to educate motorists of the importance of following road safety, they could not regularly hold road operations due to their limited manpower.
“That is why we deputize agents so that even if we are not around, enforcing road laws that will translate to road safety can be pursued by the local agents,” Almora said.
Almora also hoped that the apprehensions of the local agents can be reflected in the system of the LTO to allow the demerit system for the driver’s license to be implemented.
“A violation translates to points that will either cancel or suspend an individual’s license or make the person ineligible to a 10-year validity of the license,” he said.
Based on LTO guidelines, only active members of the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and local government units occupying permanent position items and whose present work assignments are directly and actually related to traffic management and control can be deputized.
Traffic enforcers are allowed to confiscate their driving license if the vehicle being driven was involved in a car accident or has committed a traffic violation and with a 72-hour validity temporary operators permit issued to the person.
Almora said they are deputizing traffic enforcers from local governments provided they undergo the required training.
“The deputation authorizes the agent to confiscate driver’s licenses and license plate numbers of motor vehicles that have violated existing land transportation laws, rules, and regulations,” he said.
The city government, through its council, asked the LTO-CAR to train local traffic enforcers such as barangay tanods, personnel of the City Public Order and Safety Division, traffic enforcers and police officers on traffic laws.
Without the deputation, local traffic enforcers can only issue traffic citation tickets and cannot confiscate a driver’s license or a vehicle license plate
Source: Philippines News Agency
