420 drivers lost licenses in last 6 months–DOTr
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Tuesday called on motorists to abide by traffic rules or face the consequences, as it announced that in the last six months, it has revoked 420 driving licenses and issued over 2,000 show-cause orders to violators whose licenses were later suspended.
In a press briefing, Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said this was the highest number ever of drivers’ licenses to be revoked and suspended by the DOTr and the Land Transportation Office (LTO).
“What the government is asking for is simple: Follow the law,” Dizon said. “Why are we doing this? Because we are protecting the safety of our citizens on the road—motorists, pedestrians [and] commuters.”
“If you don’t follow the law, the government can easily revoke your license, either temporarily or in the case of extreme violations, forever,” he added.
One of the drivers meted out this harsh penalty was a lawyer whose license Dizon ordered permanently revoked on Tuesday after she allegedly tried to run over a traffic enforcer in Cavite province who had stopped her for a hit-and-run incident on Aug. 18.
The DOTr, which did not identify the driver, reported that enforcer Michael Trajico was forced to jump on the hood of her vehicle and hold on for about 10 to 15 minutes as she drove around.
“This woman driver, she reportedly bragged that she is a lawyer. If you are a lawyer, would you run over an enforcer? Okay, since you are a lawyer, get ready to face whatever is coming to you,” Dizon said.
Support for enforcer
Addressing Trajico, Dizon told him to file charges against the driver, saying the DOTr and the government would support him.
“Don’t be afraid to charge her. Don’t be afraid just because she’s a lawyer,” he said.
LTO chief Vigor Mendoza II said at the same briefing that a total of 1,100 show-cause orders were issued last year, which mostly resulted in some drivers having their licenses suspended or revoked.
“[For 2025], we already broke 2,000 in just half a year. I think we might reach 5,000 at the rate we’re going,” Mendoza noted.
“What’s the bottom line to all of this? It’s really just like what the President and Secretary Vince has said, the [lack of] discipline on the road. There’s no sense in us having traffic rules if we continue to lack discipline,” he said.
Dizon, on the other hand, cited “fixers” as one of the factors for the high number of traffic violations, saying they help unqualified applicants get their drivers’ licenses in exchange for a fee.
“[P]art of what needs to be fixed [is] the system of getting a driver’s license. It should not be too easy. The problem is, just like what the President said, we need to make it easier, but we should also be strict,” he said.
“Because of the problem in the system, you can just go to a fixer [and] pay P5,000. No need for an exam or practical [test],” Dizon added.
Online license renewal
According to him, the DOTr has already set up an online portal for the renewal of drivers’ licenses to eliminate the need for fixers.
Launched in July, the Online Driver’s License Renewal System lets motorists renew their licenses through the government’s eGovPH app without having to go to an LTO office and interacting with fixers.
Dizon, however, said the government also needs to strengthen law enforcement so that motorists would learn to obey traffic rules.
“The problem in our country is not that we lack laws or regulation but that these should be strictly enforced. That’s why [erring drivers] are brave … because before, [laws] were not enforced, there were no consequences. All it takes are bribes, connections, payments, but now, it’s no longer like that,” Dizon said.
According to him, the DOTr is currently studying whether it should increase the penalties for erring drivers. It is also looking into publishing the names of drivers who violate traffic rules every week, in addition to filing cases and imposing fines against them.
“We have a plan to publish a list every week, we would probably call it the ‘Wag Niyong Tularan’ (Do not imitate) list [that includes] names of drivers … If they are not afraid of charges, of fines, maybe this will shame them. We are studying it now and I am serious about it,” Dizon said.
