THE Land Transportation Office confiscated the driver’s license of radio blocktimer Roger Cimafranca after he was charged with using unauthorized plates on his motorcycle as stated under Joint Administrative Order (JAO) 2014-01.
Cimafranca needs to pay a P5,000 fine to get back his license, LTO-7 operations chief Joel Maloloy-on said.
“We issued a temporary operator’s permit (TOP) to him meaning he can only drive temporarily for 72 hours.
If he couldn’t settle within 72 hours and then he drives, he will face another violation, driving without a license,” Maloloy-on told Cebu Daily News.
He said Cimafranca’s license expires on March 28, 2017.
Cimafranca told Maloloy-on that he only claimed his regular plate number “1952 HP” at LTO-7 recently which is why he wasn’t able to replace his temporary plate number “7TC-M-1068.”
“When you already claimed your regular plate number this means that your temporary plate number is not valid anymore. You need to replace it immediately after claiming,” Maloloy-on said.
During the ocular inspection, the temporary plate number was confiscated and Cimafranca’s regular plate number was installed on his motorcycle. His vehicle was not impounded.
The LTO sticker seen on the viral video was also missing during the inspection.
Scratch marks were seen where the LTO sticker had been affixed.
Maloloy-on clarified that the LTO doesn’t issue stickers because there is already a plate number issued by their office.
Accessories
“We could not also penalize him for placing LTO stickers since there is no specific executive order for that matter. I hope our central office would draft an order implementing such laws,” Maloloy-on said.
Cimafranca also presented his certificate of registration and it matched with the chassis and engine number.
No problems were found with the motorcycle’s accessories.
The motorcycle was first bought and registered under the name of Reygan Abadiez, a resident of Bulacao, Pardo, Cebu City.
A deed of sale shows that Cimafranca bought the motorcycle last March 23, 2015 for P37,000.
Closed
Maloloy-on said once the motorcycle is sold, the name on the registration should be changed within a month.
A P150 fine is charged as penalty for late registration.
Cimafranca also presented the copy of his receipt showing that he already paid P2,500 in fines for violating laws on overloading and crash helmets as seen in the video recorded by traffic enforcer Lyndon Lito Ocampo that went viral.
“So our investigation is already closed. Cimafranca only needs to pay the fine,” he added.