Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. on Monday expressed optimism that the forthcoming implementation of unified ticketing system and the moratorium on license confiscation will lead to better enforcement of traffic rules for the benefit of motorists and commuters in Metro Manila.
Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) clarified that traffic enforcers will continue to issue citation tickets to erring drivers despite a moratorium on the confiscation of driver’s licenses.
In another development, the LTO reiterated its warning against scammers or fixers who offer non-appearance services for motor vehicle registration and renewal.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) secured the commitment of the Metro Manila mayors to pass an ordinance supporting the single ticketing system and deferring to the Land Transportation Office (LTO) the authority to confiscate licenses as the lead agency in the enforcement of traffic laws and ensuring the safety of the motoring public.
Under the system which is still being finalized, the local government units (LGUs) will submit their traffic violation citations to the LTO which will, in turn, record and tally such violations as part of its demerit system. If a motorist is found to have ten traffic violations, his or her driver’s license will be suspended.
“The system will also prescribe a uniform schedule of fees for traffic violations incurred which can be settled at the nearest Bayad Center or bank,” Abalos said.
Motorists will have 10 days to settle the penalty through digital wallets or payment centers registered with the LTO’s Land Transportation Management System, before it gains interest. The license will be confiscated if it has 10 unsettled violations.
The single ticketing system is set for implementation in the first quarter of 2023.
In a Laging Handa briefing, MMDA spokesperson Melissa Carunungan said traffic tickets issued to motorists would have to be settled with the office of the apprehending officer such as the local government unit (LGU), the MMDA, or the Land Transportation Office (LTO).
“There is a moratorium on confiscating licenses, but LGUs will list all those apprehended and these will be given to the LTO to be recorded,” Carunungan said.
The moratorium was issued following a consensus among the Metro Manila Council (MMC), the 17 Metro Manila mayors, the MMDA, and the LTO to suspend the confiscation of driver’s licenses until the single ticketing system in NCR is rolled out.
Once the system is rolled out, she said drivers with citation tickets may settle their fines online through the LTO.
“The revenue from this will go to the issuing agency,” Carunungan said.
Aside from paying the fines, she said erring drivers will get demerit points from the LTO depending on their traffic violation.
“All demerit points will be visible in the LTO system and will affect the length of validity of their license upon renewal,” she said.
In addition, Carunungan said a driver’s license will be confiscated under the new system once a driver earns 10 demerit points.
“For example, if you’re caught disregarding a traffic sign, that will earn you one demerit point. If you’re caught driving without a license, that will earn you five demerit points,” she said.
“Time and again, the LTO continues to remind clients not to patronize these spurious characters who offer their illegal services in exchange for a fee to be able to circumvent the process. We wish to reiterate that the motor vehicle registration process was put into place to protect clients and their hard-earned money, and to guarantee the safety and roadworthiness of their vehicle,” LTO chief Jose Arturo Tugade said.
The agency said that transactions for these “services” happen both on-ground and online.
On-ground transactions happen allegedly within the compounds of smoke emission testing centers, while those online occur mostly on popular social media platforms.
The public is reminded that offering non-appearance services for motor vehicle registration or renewal is a violation of several laws.
These laws are Article 315 of the Revised Penal Code or the crime of estafa or swindling, and Republic Act 11032 or the “Ease of Doing Business and ty Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018.”
The non-appearance scams involve the motor vehicle registrant not having to appear anymore during the motor vehicle registration phase, while some offer clients the opportunity of non-appearance even as early as the smoke emission testing stage of the process. Of course, all of these services come at a hefty price.
Tugade also warned LTO employees who may be in cahoots with the, reiterating the need to put an end to this nefarious scheme that deprives the government of much-needed revenues to fill the nation’s coffers.
“If putting an end to this corrupt practice means removing LTO personnel from government service, then so be it. Again, I’d like to remind LTO personnel that I have zero tolerance on corruption. We will
weed them out of the agency if they put the LTO’s name in a bad light,” he stressed.