BAGUIO CITY October 14 – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan claimed the local ordinance authorizing law enforcers to remove the license plates of vehicles that have violated traffic laws, reules and regulations has the full force of a law compared to the administrative order issued by the Land Transportation Office (LTO) prohibiting the removal of the same from traffic violators.
The local chief executive explained the local ordinance authorizing law enforcers to remove the license plates of vehicles that have been found to have violated traffic laws, rules and regulations passed the stringent passage of a local legislative measure that has the effect of a law while the administrative order issued by the LTO prohibiting the removal of the license plates of vehicles is simply a mere regulation that has been issued by the executive branch and does not enjoy the effect of a aw unlike the approved local ordinance.
“Our law enforcers must make sure that they have the appropriate units of equipment and the expertise to remove the new license plates installed on vehicles, especially if they have been found to have violated traffic laws, rules and regulations. We have to take extra care so that the bar code will not be destroyed,” Domogan stressed.
He advised law enforcers that if they have doubts on removing the license plates of vehicles that have violated traffic laws, rules and regulations, they can opt to take the photos of the vehicles that have been found to have violated laws and submit the same to the LTO for record purposes and for the owner to settle the fines imposed relative thereto prior to renewal of registration.
According to him, the use of new license plates for motor vehicles should not be an excuse for law enforcers not to implement the full force of local ordinance relative to traffic violations but what is important is for them to make sure that they comply with whatever available options to make sure that violators are penalized to the fullest.
It was learned that six personnel of the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) Traffic Management Branch had been already charged by motor vehicle owners after they reportedly removed the new license plates installed by the LTO in their vehicles for obvious traffic violations.
Domogan expressed disappointment over the attitude of violators to harass law enforcers by filing charges against them when in fact, they should be the ones that should be appropriately charged because of their obvious violations and not for the law enforcers to suffer what could be the risk of doing their job in properly enforcing traffic laws, rules and regulations.
He asserted that if there is discipline among motorists, there will be no monstrous traffic jams around the city because motorists will be vigilant in complying with pertinent traffic laws, rules and regulations which should be the case and not for hard headed individuals to be driving vehicles.