An official from the Davao City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO) said drivers who created and joined a social media group, especially Facebook, to avoid the office’s operations cannot escape their violations.
“Pag naa kay violation, all running violation nga naa sa imong sakyanan pwede na namo masilip gikan sa driver’s license, rehistro sa imong sakyanan, ginatan-aw man gyud na nato (If you have a violation, all the running violations that your vehicle incurred we can be able to see it, from your driver’s license to your vehicle registration, we will see it),” CTTMO chief Dionisio Abude said during the ISpeak media forum on Thursday, March 14, 2024, at the City Mayor’s Office.
The issue came to light when a Facebook group named “LTO Davao City/Dakop Update (Tinabangay ta)” gained around 26,000 members and started posting about seven times a month. The Facebook posts of the group often included warnings about the locations of operations, effectively helping members to evade law enforcement.
The issue came to light when a Facebook group named “LTO Davao City/Dakop Update (Tinabangay ta)” gained around 26,000 members and started posting about seven times a month. The Facebook posts of the group often included warnings about the locations of operations, effectively helping members to evade law enforcement.
Some even invite other drivers to create a group chat to inform others of the latest operation of the CTTMO and the Land Transportation Office-Davao Region (LTO-Davao).
However, Abude stressed that such attempts to escape the law would not be successful, revealing that they would create a countermeasure against the group.
He expressed concern that some drivers are committing serious violations, such as exceeding the speed limit and driving without a license, which carry significant penalties, including hefty fines and potential license suspension.
While they have not yet decided on the specific consequences for the ones warning others of the operation, the office’s primary focus remains to alleviate the city's traffic situation and to enforce traffic rules.
Additionally, Abude said that there are around 600 CTTMO personnel but he revealed that not all of the office’s personnel are deputized. This means that not all CTTMO personnel are capable of issuing a citation ticket.
He also said that most deputized personnel are well-versed in the traffic code, adding that the office has deputized some personnel of the Philippine National Police (PNP). He also revealed that some members of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines-Davao (CAAP-Davao) have requested to be deputized as well. RGP