CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Land Transportation Office in Central Visayas (LTO-7) has apprehended more than 9,000 drivers of two-and-four-wheeled motor vehicles for violating traffic laws in the first half of 2023.
In a press conference on Thursday, July 6, 2023, Aden Belza, LTO-7 head of the operations division, said that the consolidated report as of Wednesday, July 5, showed that their division handled 9,557 apprehension cases from January 1 to June 30, 2023.
Belza noted that majority of the violations were failure to wear seatbelts, defective parts (including mufflers exceeding the prescribed decibel), and reckless driving.
Operations against colorum vans and motorcycles are also ongoing, he added.
Moreover, the LTO-7 apprehended nine public utility buses plying N. Bacalso Ave. for loading and unloading of passengers outside the designated bus terminals. Of the number, seven have been impounded for other violations.
Belza said this would serve as a warning to erring drivers, as the LTO-7, would not hesitate to impound vehicles–with its three-hectare impounding area in Talisay City.
Last Friday, Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia invited LTO-7 director Glen Galario and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in Central Visayas (LTFRB 7) director Eduardo Montealto, Jr., to the capitol to meet with bus drivers and operators.
During the meeting, Garcia reiterated that loading and unloading of passengers outside the terminal is illegal, as it does not only hamper traffic flow but is also risky to the public.
Garcia then sought action from the two agencies, which assured to ramp up their operations for safe driving and road safety.
/bmjo
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