Ariel Inton, head lawyer of Lawyers for Commuters Safety and Protection (LCSP), proposed a new law on Thursday that would make “name dropping” a criminal offense.

He said the move aims to protect traffic enforcers from being pressured to let violators go due to claims of connections to influential figures, such as politicians.

Inton pointed to several viral incidents where apprehended individuals claimed to be related to certain officials, which led to the ousting of MMDA traffic head Edison “Bong” Nebrija.

He said, “Name dropping is an offshoot of the patronage system, making it crucial to hold violators accountable under the proposed Anti-Name Dropping Act.”

Meanwhile, the LCSP has called for a refund of the unused load on motorists’ Radio Frequency Identification accounts. Inton said the unused load becomes “floating money” for those who do not frequently use toll roads.

He also urged the Department of Transportation, Land Transportation Office and Toll Regulatory Board to allow alternative payment methods, such as credit cards and e-wallets.