LTO chief on warpath vs illegal right-hand drives
RA 8506 makes it unlawful to import, cause the importation of, register, cause the registration of, use, or operate any right-hand drive vehicle on any public or private road in the Philippines.
Daily TribuneRA 8506 makes it unlawful to import, cause the importation of, register, cause the registration of, use, or operate any right-hand drive vehicle on any public or private road in the Philippines.
The head of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) has ordered a thorough investigation that could lead to disciplinary actions following a raid on a Quezon City establishment allegedly selling illegal second-hand right-hand drive motor vehicles.
LTO chief Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza issued the directive after an initial intelligence report indicated the store was engaged in the prohibited sale of these vehicles.
“Under the law, the mere presence of right-hand vehicles in the country is illegal as they should not have been imported in the first place,” Mendoza said Sunday, citing Republic Act 8506 as the legal basis.
RA 8506, or the “Act Banning the Registration and Operation of Vehicles With Right-Hand Steering Wheel,” makes it unlawful to import, cause the importation of, register, cause the registration of, use, or operate any right-hand drive vehicle on any public or private road in the Philippines.
Following the intelligence gathering, the head of the LTO-Intelligence and Investigation Division, Renante Melitante, sought police assistance as on Thursday, a team inspected the Faequip Corporation Yard located in the San Pedro Compound 5, Tandang Sora, Quezon City.
During the inspection, authorities discovered several second-hand right-hand drive vehicles. LTO documents, including certificates of registration, were confiscated for further investigation, along with two right-hand drive trucks.
Mendoza said the two trucks would undergo inspection to determine if their engine and chassis numbers had been tampered with.
“I also ordered a thorough investigation into this matter, particularly on how these imported second-hand right-hand motor vehicles were registered,” Mendoza said. “We have already gathered initial information that these motor vehicles were registered in an extraordinary way, and we want to identify all the people involved.”
“We will not tolerate this. As what our Department of Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said, the government will not allow these kinds of illegal activities,” he added.
Mendoza stressed that this action aligns with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to pursue individuals and groups that compromise road safety.
The operation, supported by operatives of the Quezon City Police District, originated from social media monitoring regarding the transactions.