65 right-hand drive vehicles seized in Cebu raid

File photo

MANILA, Philippines — The Land Transportation Office (LTO) on Monday confiscated 65 right-hand drive (RHD) vehicles in a raid in Cebu and arrested a Peruvian national suspected of importing the illegal vehicles.

According to the LTO, the RHD vehicles—referring to vehicles where the driver’s seat and the steering wheel is on the right side of the car—were confiscated through a joint operation with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and Special Envoy on Transnational Crime Ambassador Markus Lacanilao in an auto shop in Talisay City, Cebu.

The LTO said the operation was conducted based on intelligence reports of an auto shop’s illegal operation, which also bared that it was being run by a foreigner.

“During the operation, a female Peruvian national was held under custody after her name came out as the operator of the raided shop in Talisay City,” the agency said in a statement.

LTO chief Vigor Mendoza II said that the raid was part of the agency’s “aggressive operations” against the importation, assembly and sale of RHD vehicles following the discovery of a store in Quezon City and three in Davao—where over 40 RHD vehicles were seized.

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“These stores appear to be all connected,” said Mendoza in the same statement.

“That is why Ambassador Lacanilao was here with us as part of the thorough investigation into this illegal activity because there were reports that this is run by at least one foreigner,” he added.

Initial investigation showed that the RHD vehicles were imported and were assembled in the country before they were sold.

Mendoza said he has already ordered an investigation on an LTO office in Mindanao which was accused of having facilitated the registration of the illegally-assembled right-hand drive motor vehicles.

“We will hold all of them accountable based on the orders of our DOTr secretary. Right now, we are conducting a thorough investigation to identify all the people behind this.” Mendoza said.

Under Republic Act 8506, RHD vehicles are illegal in the country, stating that “It shall be unlawful for any person to import, cause the importation of, register, cause the registration of, use, or operate any vehicle with its steering wheel right-hand side thereof in any highway, street or road, whether private or public or of the national or local government.” (Nelson Jr. Caparas, INQUIRER.net trainee)