SOME 121 assorted vehicles were apprehended by the Inter-Agency Council on Traffic (I-Act) after two days of operations in the cities of Cebu and Talisay and in the town of Minglanilla on Nov. 28-29.
Violations include failure to use a seat belt, lack of a certificate of registration (CR) and non-functioning car accessories like headlights, signal lights and tail lights, among others, said Macky Getaruelas, Land Transportation Office (LTO) 7 operation head.
Aside from four-wheel vehicles, the I-Act also impounded five tricycles and one motorcycle after their owners failed to show a CR or had an invalid driver’s license, Getaruelas said.
The I-Act also apprehended 12 jeepneys, 13 taxis, eight passenger vans and two minibuses. The drivers were issued an Inspection Report Summons (IRS), which requires them to pay at least P5,000 per violation.
The IRS is equivalent to the LTO’s Temporary Operator’s Permit (TOP), said Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) 7 Director Eduardo Montealto Jr.
He said most of the violators failed to produce an original copy of the certificate of public conveyance (CPC) or turn on their mobile apps for taxis if they were taxi drivers.
“They left the original copy of the CPC at home. They should carry that whenever they’re driving,” he said in Cebuano.
Getaruelas said the I-Act will submit its updated report on Monday, Dec. 3, as to how many TOPs were issued, as they are still waiting for the report from the Highway Patrol Group and the Armed Forces of the Philippines on the results of their separate operations.
LTO 7 Director Victor Caindec urged motorists to follow traffic laws and exercise discipline while on the road as the I-Act will continue to go after erring drivers.
Cebu City’s support
Meanwhile, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña believes that the deployment of military personnel in thoroughfares in Metro Cebu will help deter crime and instill discipline among motorists.
Despite his absence during the launching of the I-Act, Osmeña said, he tasked Councilor Dave Tumulak to do what was needed for the City’s participation in the traffic council.
“Look at the Swat (Special Weapons and Tactics). They’re sitting in one room. How does that deter crime? Because they are waiting for a hostage situation that hasn’t happened in 30 years or for a sniper that hasn’t happened in a 100 years. So they’re of no use. They’re just hanging out. When a crime happens, who shows up at the scene first? The Soco (Scene of the Crime Operatives),” the mayor said in Cebuano.
Osmeña had asked Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Director Senior Supt. Royina Garma to deploy Swat teams with the Mobile Patrol Group (MPG) on the streets.
Swat teams are now seen patrolling some major streets.
Tumulak had said the City would cooperate with the I-Act because it supports the national government when it comes to law enforcement.
Garma, for her part, said the CCPO will also support the I-Act because she believes military presence on the streets can also deter crimes.
She said police officers will also help manage traffic, adding that she assigned an additional 30 police officers to MPG to help supervise the traffic. From PAC, SCG of Superbalita Cebu / JKV