LTO-7 to investigate ‘queues beyond office hours’ in Talisay branch

LTO-7 Regional Director Victor Caindec. | file photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines – The top official of the Land Transportation Office in Central Visayas (LTO-7) has ordered an investigation involving one of their branches in Cebu.

In a post on his official Facebook account, Victor Caindec, director of LTO-7, said their agency will look into a netizen’s complaint that LTO’s branch in Talisay City, Cebu allegedly allowed people to wait outside their office even beyond working hours.

“This post made me extremely worried. This is not what LTO-7 is. I assure you and everyone transacting with LTO-7, I will personally investigate this,” said Caindec.

The post, made by Facebook user Deneb Batucan, said that some clients who want to transact at LTO-7’s Talisay City branch began waiting outside the office as early as 12:00 a.m.

LTO-7 Talisay, said Batucan, only entertains a maximum of 25 people as part of its safety protocol.

Batucan, who went to the agency’s satellite branch before dawn in the hopes of securing an appointment slot, expressed concerns that some of them waited for hours outside “with no proper health protocols in place”.

“Aside from my obvious frustrations, I’m making this rant post mainly because I am concerned about public health. COVID (coronavirus disease 2019) cases in Cebu are slowly trickling up again. There are so many people who line up at LTO. And these people do all-nighters just to get their licenses,” portions of Batucan’s post read.

“These people have jobs and other responsibilities they have to do in the morning. Yet they sleep at the side of the street just so they can secure their slot and are risking their health and safety for this,” it added.

She also said that people came up with an initiative in the form of a priority list so they would be accommodated, even in the absence of a representative from LTO.

“For the past four days, my mom and I have talked to these people lining up for the LTO. They have initiated a process where they list down the names of the people who arrive at the venue,” said Batucan.

“Some even come as early as 7 p.m. the previous day. They made this initiative so it would be fair for everyone who lined up for hours when the LTO opens at 8 a.m. LTO did not send a representative to list down the names of the people lining up. But then they ask for the list once they open and use it so the line will be in order,” she added.

Caindec, in response, clarified that LTO will never issue priority numbers outside their working hours. He also said they will be coordinating with local law enforcers in Talisay City to look into reports of people lining up outside their branch despite a curfew that runs from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.

In the meantime, Caindec urged Batucan and the public to process their transactions to other LTO-7 satellite branches in Cebu. /rcg