LTO issues final warning to car owner

Patrick Bitoy (right), the complainant talks to Joel Maloloy-on (left), operations chief of Land Transportation Office (LTO-7). (CDN FILE PHOTO)

A THIRD and final subpoena was issued to the owner of a Honda Civic vehicle with plate number YKG 837 to appear in a hearing held by the regional Land Transportation Office (LTO-7) of the July 26 road rage case.

“We will rely on the evidence available in our office. I can recommend to the regional director to place the vehicle under alarm,” LTO-7 operations chief Joel Maloloy-on told reporters yesterday.

The vehicle owner identified as Leonardo Laya Jr. failed to show up for yesterday’s hearing. He was supposed to identify the driver allegedly involved in a road rage incident at Archbishop Reyes Street in Cebu City at 1:30 pm last July 26.

Once the vehicle is placed under alarm, the owner cannot renew the registration of the vehicle in any LTO offices in the country. Laya is said to be a native of Ipil, Zamboanga, Sibugay in Mindanao.

The final investigation is scheduled on August 10, next Thursday, at the LTO-7 office. “We have exerted much effort. We also want to get answers from the allegations before we will decide (recommendation),” Maloloy-on said.

The complainant, Patrick Bitoy, was present yesterday accompanied by his lawyer Ronald Baquiano and his family.

Bitoy told Cebu Daily News that he would discuss with his lawyer what would be their next move in case the owner will not show up.

Lawyer Ariel Inton Jr., former Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) board member and founder of Lawyers for Commuters Safety and Protection (LSCP) suggested to Bitoy to identify the aggressor from the LTO files.

“At pag nag match then ask for the preventive suspension of his drivers license pending the proceedings. LTO has the power to preventively suspend the drivers license of the road bully,” Inton said.

Bitoy earlier posted a photo and video of the incident on his Facebook page. The driver wore a white shirt, black shorts and a white watch.

The driver overtook Bitoy and then went out of his car, bringing a baseball bat as he cursed and threatened Bitoy. Bitoy, a real estate broker by profession, also claimed that the driver followed him even if he was on his way home to Barangay Banawa.

Bitoy’s Facebook account became viral immediately and netizens helped him identify the driver and his friend.