A screenshot of LTO-7 chief Victor Caindec during his Facebook live video on Friday morning, June 19, 2020.
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Some offices of the Land Transportation Office in Central Visayas (LTO-7) in Mandaue City and Cebu City will be closed after 12 employees were found positive in a rapid antibody test.
LTO-7 Director Victor Caindec announced this in a live video on Facebook on Friday morning, June 19, 2020
“Ato lang gisirad-an for disinfection para segurado gyod nga safe ato offices. Nya mag undergo og PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test tong mga nipositive sa rapid test,” said Caindec.
(We have closed the area for disinfection to ensure the safety of our offices. Those who proved positive to the rapid test will undergo the PCR test.)
Caindec said that when the Cebu City was placed under the General Community Quarantine (GCQ) from June 1 to 15, 2020, the LTO-7 employees underwent rapid antibody tests.
At least 12 employees proved positive to the rapid tests, prompting Caindec to order the closure of the Cebu City office at N. Bacalso Highway and the Mandaue City offices.
The regional director did not specify how long the offices will be closed, but since Cebu City is under ECQ, he expects normal operations to return by July.
Expired registrations
Since the offices are closed, those with expired registrations from March to June 2020 will not need to renew their registrations until July, according to Caindec.
“Ayaw sa na ninyog problemaha inyong mga registro hangtud Hulyo. Mosabot ra ta,” said Caindec.
(Do not worry about your registrations until July. We will understand.)
Still, for those who are living outside Cebu City, Mandaue City and Talisay City, including in other provinces such as Bohol, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor, they can still renew their vehicle registrations at their respective LTO offices.
Caindec reminded the public to practice social distancing and proper hygiene when going to these offices.
He suspects that those who were paying off their violations in the past months were the cause of the infections in the LTO offices in Mandaue City and Cebu City.
He also said that while the LTO offices are closed, the violators cannot claim their impounded vehicles or pay off their penalties and get their licenses back. /bmjo