LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The La Trinidad Municipal Police Station (LTMPS) disclosed that the compliance of residents, especially owners of motor vehicles, to the government’s aggressive anti-road obstruction campaign is significantly improving as evidenced by the rapidly decreasing number of violators being apprehended even in the barangay level.
LTMPS chief Police Maj. Clef B. Vencio reported that since the municipal government resumed the operations against illegal obstructions on roads up to the barangay level last October, numerous license plates of vehicles illegally parked on roads were confiscated.
He disclosed that the number of confiscated license plates during the resumption of the government’s anti-road obstruction campaign reached nearly 2,000 with the various teams confiscating more or less 100 license plates daily.
However, Vencio reported that over the past several weeks, the number of anti-road obstruction violators dropped to an average of 10 daily with more vehicle owners aware of the penalties being imposed against violators.
The police official claimed that despite the significant reduction on the anti-road obstruction violators being apprehended daily, the different operating teams will still continue to aggressively enforce the same to send a clear message to the residents that the government means business in ridding the roads from unnecessary obstructions that impede the smooth flow of vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
According to him, barangay officials have also become proactive in the anti-road obstruction campaign as they are now the ones seeking the assistance of the police to conduct similar operations in their areas of jurisdiction to instill discipline among motorists who continue to violate the anti-road obstruction order from the national government.
Vencio added that motorists are now hesitant on parking their motor vehicles on roads because they fear that photographs of their illegally parked vehicles might be taken by the concerned authorities and subsequently submitted to the Land Transportation Office (LTO) where the penalty for such violation is much higher compared to the penalties being imposed by the local government.
He asserted that the municipal police force, in close coordination with the barangay officials and concerned sectors, will continue to aggressively implement the government’s anti-road obstruction campaign pursuant to the mandate imposed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) as roads should be freed from obstructions to prevent untoward incidents that will endanger the public.
Vencio urged the public to cooperate with the municipal police force in the implementation of the campaign to ride roads from obstructions as the priority is public safety and unimpeded safe travel from points of origin to desired destinations along roads inside and outside the municipality.
By Hent
