DOTr, LTO, PNP-ACG team up vs online scammers
Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon on Thursday warned online scammers that his department, together with the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG), would go after them, particularly those who offer fake ID cards, including driver’s licenses.
“All those who post online scams, we’ll arrest them and send them to jail. You’ll be in jail for 12 years, so if you’re not afraid of that, just wait until you’re behind bars,” Dizon said in a joint press briefing with LTO chief Vigor Mendoza II and PNP-ACG chief Brig. Gen. Bernard Yang.
The three presented a woman who had been arrested for offering fake IDs online, one of several that the LTO and PNP-ACG said had been caught offering fake driving licenses and person with disability ID cards.
Dizon said that selling fake driver’s licenses to unqualified drivers could result in road crash fatalities.
“[People] like her (suspect) who abuse our countrymen, they don’t know that what they’re doing could potentially lead to road deaths,” the Department of Transportation (DOTr) chief said.
Ongoing probe
Dizon also reported that the LTO has suspended 107 driving schools for their failure to comply with the requirements for proper theoretical driver’s training.
At the same time, Mendoza said the LTO has also summoned the owner of a Cebu-based company for its involvement in the illegal importation and sale of right-hand drive (RHD) vehicles.
A show cause order was earlier issued to Cebu Titan Supplies as part of an ongoing investigation into RHD vehicles that were seized during a raid in Quezon City last week.
On May 15, the LTO’s Intelligence and Investigation Division headed by Renante Melitante, and a police team, raided the warehouse of a motor vehicle store after it was monitored on social media advertising the sale of imported vehicles.
During the operation, several used RHD motor vehicles were found. The certificates of registration for the vehicles, along with two RHD trucks, were seized for further checking.
Upon verification, it was learned that the secondhand RHD vehicles were imported by Cebu Titan Supplies which was ordered to explain why it committed several violations, including having four RHD vehicles registered in Mindanao.
RHD vehicles have been banned in the country since 1998 under Republic Act No. 8506, or An Act Banning the Registration and Operation of Vehicles With Right-Hand Steering Wheel in any Private or Public Street, Road or Highway.
Mendoza said a thorough investigation was underway to determine if some LTO personnel were involved in the registration of the banned vehicles.
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