The Land Transportation Office (LTO), led by Assistant Secretary Vigor D. Mendoza, confiscated more than 65 imported right-hand drive (RHD) motor vehicles in a raid in Talisay City in Cebu Monday, 9 June.

The operation was backed by agents of National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and supervised by both Special Envoy on Transnational Crime Ambassador Markus V. Lacanilao and Assistant Secretary Mendoza on Monday morning based on the confirmed intelligence reports of the illegal operation of the autoshop with the assistance of LTO Region 7 Director Glen Galario.

Mendoza said the involvement of Ambassador Lacanilao came from the result of the investigation over the involvement of foreign nationals in the illegal importation, assembly and sale of the RHD motor vehicles.

During the operation, a female Peruvian national was held under custody after her name came out as the operator of the raided shop in Talisay City.

The LTO has been conducting aggressive operations against the importation of RHD vehicles and their assembly and sale in the country following the discovery of the store in Quezon City last month.

Mendoza said this is in line with the instruction of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. to conduct aggressive operations against those who compromise road safety, personnel and under the guidance of Department of Transportation (DoTr) Secretary Vince Dizon.

Following the raid in Quezon City, three more auto shops based in Davao were also raided and yielded over 40 RHD vehicles.

“These stores appear to be all connected. That is why Ambassador Lacanilao was here with us as part of the thorough investigation into this illegal activity because there were reports that this is run by at least one foreigner,” Mendoza said.

Based on the initial investigation, the RHD vehicles were imported and later assembled in the country before they were sold.

Mendoza earlier ordered an investigation on an LTO office in Mindanao which was accused of having facilitated the registration of the illegally-assembled RHD motor vehicles.

Under the Republic Act 8506, or An Act Banning the Registration and Operation of Vehicles With Right-Hand Steering Wheel in any Private or Public Street, Road or Highway, the mere presence of RHD in the country is illegal as they should not have been imported in the first place.

The law states that “It shall be unlawful for any person to import, cause the importation of, register, cause the registration of, use, or operate any vehicle with its steering wheel right-hand side thereof in any highway, street or road, whether private or public or of the national or local government.”