CoA: Gapan has over 50 unregistered vehicles

The Commission on Audit (CoA) has found that over 50 vehicles owned by Gapan City were not registered with the Land Transportation Office (LTO) as early as 2017.

According to its 2023 report, the provincial government possessed a total of 54 vehicles, but only three of them had updated registration with the LTO by last year.

These vehicles comprise firetrucks, cargo trucks, service vans, sidecars, and others.

State auditors said the registration of 41 units was not renewed, while 10 units have no record of registration at all, in violation of Joint Circular (JC) No. 1-85, mandating that government agencies register motor vehicles under its custody annually.

Item 8 of the JC stipulates that no government agencies will be allowed to use any government motor vehicles unless such has been duly registered under the said provision.

“The failure of the city to maintain its records and update the registration of its motor vehicles with the LTO indicates lack of proper management and control over the motor vehicles, which may result in the possible loss and misuse of the government assets,” the auditing body said.

Moreover, CoA noted that Gapan is likewise exposed to possible penalties, fines, or sanctions from the LTO.

 A penalty of 50 percent is strictly imposed and shall be paid by the officer designated responsible for the registration of the vehicles under Item 4.7 of JC No. 1-85.

Gapan City, however, ascribed the non-registration of 50 vehicles to the absence of emission testing and that the other one was procured recently, thus, a certificate of LTO registration still needed to be secured from the vendor.

Nevertheless, CoA ordered Gapan City Mayor Emary Joy Pascual to prioritize the registration of the motor vehicles with the LTO to prevent possible loss and misuse of the assets as well as to forfend the incurrence of potential fines from the LTO.