Licenses of 671 reckless, ‘high’ drivers suspended
The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has suspended the licenses of 671 drivers who were involved in road crashes or tested positive for illegal drugs during Holy Week.
In a press conference on Wednesday, LTO chief Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza II said that upon the orders of Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon, they took the “unprecedented” move of issuing show-cause orders (SCOs) against the 671 drivers—574 of whom were involved in road crashes. Another 97 were drivers of public utility vehicles (PUVs) found to be using drugs on the job.
While the licenses of 670 drivers were only suspended for 90 days pending an investigation, Dizon ordered the immediate revocation of the license of Mark Louie Burgos. The ELS Bus Co. driver was caught speeding in a video that went viral as his passengers pleaded for him to slow down or stop to let them off the vehicle.
“As of today, he no longer has a driver’s license. He lost his source of income because of what he did. And in fact, he put the lives of his passengers in danger not only once, but twice,” Dizon said.
“We are sending a strong message to everyone, especially those who are driving buses, jeepneys and other PUVs: We will not tolerate your recklessness on the road. Get your act together if you do not want to lose your sources of income,” he added.
Continuing crackdown
“This crackdown on undisciplined drivers will continue even after the Holy Week. So if you’re thinking of committing violations or not following our street regulations, don’t be surprised if you end up losing your license or facing charges,” Dizon further said.
The LTO also issued SCOs to the registered owners of 1,165 vehicles that failed its roadworthiness inspections.
At the same time, Dizon announced the creation of a special task force composed of the Department of Transportation, the LTO and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), which will conduct a sweeping review of policies on road safety and the issuance of drivers’ licenses.
“We need to take road safety seriously, especially with large vehicles, like buses and trucks. Those are the ones that can kill other road users,” he said.
“There are too many incidents of road crashes. Clearly, the current policies and processes are not effective, and they need to be reviewed,” Dizon noted.
He also pushed for a review of the qualifications set for motorcycle drivers applying for a license, noting there were too many reports about “kamote” (reckless and irresponsible) riders.
“This means that our current processes to ensure that our motorcycle riders are qualified and skilled to earn their driver’s licenses are inadequate,” Dizon said.
Another bus company, on the other hand, has been ordered by the LTFRB to explain why it should not be penalized over complaints filed by a person with disability and a pet owner.
In a statement on Wednesday, LTFRB Chair Teofilo Guadiz III said it would issue two SCOs against Solid North Transit. One of these was for an April 18 incident on a Tarlac-Baguio bus, in which the complainant accused the conductor of throwing her pet carrier containing her cat into the baggage compartment.
The driver and conductor, she added, also made comments about her cat possibly dying inside the hot baggage compartment, prompting her to get off the bus with her pet even though they had yet to reach their destination.
The second complainant, meanwhile, said that on April 20, the conductor of a Baguio-La Union bus mocked her child, calling him “pipi” (mute).
This made the other passengers stare at her son, and out of shame, he just decided to alight from the bus without reaching his destination.
