LTO turns down party-list call for ‘no apprehension’ policy

With the country bracing for a possible fuel crunch triggered by the escalating conflict in the Middle East, where the Philippines sources most of its fuel imports, various austerity measures have been floated to soften the economic impact.

One of the more puzzling proposals came from Congress: to temporarily stop apprehending traffic violators as a way to help cushion the effects of the looming fuel crisis.

During a recent hearing of the House Committee on Transportation, Representative Arlyn Ayon of Swerte Party-list asked the Land Transportation Office (LTO) if it would be possible to temporarily stop apprehending traffic violators so motorists could use the money they would otherwise pay in penalties for more essential expenses.

“Pwede ba ‘yun? No apprehension? Wala munang huli lalo na sa mga single [na] motor kasi ‘yun ang mga ginagamit ng mga parent sa paghatid sa mga bata sa school?”

(Is that allowed? No apprehensions? No apprehension for the meantime, at least for single motorcycles, since those are the ones parents use to take their children to school?)

As for LTO, Road Safety is the top priority and is non-negotiable.

“Ma’am, road safety po ito eh. ‘Yung mga ina-apprehend po namin, ‘yung may mga violation. So, kung magko-comply po ‘yung mga kababayan po natin at hindi sila gumagawa po ng mga traffic violation, wala po silang problema sa amin sa LTO,” answered LTO Chief Markus Lacanilao.

(Ma’am, this is about road safety. Those we apprehend are the ones committing violations. So if our fellow citizens comply with the rules and don’t commit traffic violations, they won’t have any issues with us at the LTO.)

To make roads safer for everyone

For one of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority’s (MMDA) top officials on road discipline, being apprehended for a traffic violation should be viewed as a learning opportunity rather than as the government’s way of milking money from motorists.

“My personal take on this: Let us be clear—traffic apprehension is not meant to make the lives of our kababayans harder. It is meant to correct misbehavior and make our roads safer for everyone,” said MMDA Metrobase operations head and Swift Traffic Action Group (STAG) commander, Bong Nebrija.

Nebrija added that this is something he always emphasizes in his lectures: motorists must change their mindset and begin to recognize the true value of traffic rules and regulations, which were created not to burden the public but to protect them.

He also said that if traffic apprehensions are seen merely as a hardship, people should compare them with the far greater cost of hospital bills after a road crash. In the end, he stressed that discipline on the road will always be far cheaper than the cost of an accident.