DAVAO CITY — Drivers of overloaded vehicles may have to pay a fine of P2,000 to P3,000 pesos and face suspension of certificate of public convenience.
On Sept. 18, 2019, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) central office issued a directive to its regional directors to strictly implement the prohibition on the operation of motor vehicles exceeding the registered passenger capacity and on passengers riding outside of the vehicle at the space intended for cargo and freight.
Land Transportation Office in Region 12 (LTO-12) Director Macario Gonzaga said that the intensified enforcement was ordered by President Rodrigo Duterte following the tragic road crash in T’boli, South Cotabato last September 17 that killed 23 people and injured 11 others.
Lawyer Niel Cariaga, Assistant Director of the LTO XI told Newsline, that they apprehended 117 violators in seven days and the number is increasing. Most of those apprehended were private vehicles carrying passengers at the back of their cab.
Angel Sumagaysay, chief of the Davao City Public Safety and Security Command Center (PSSCC) in an interview said that many vehicular accidents are due to over loading of passengers.
On September 17, twenty people, including children, died in South Cotabato when a flatbed truck they were riding in plummeted into a ravine.
Police report showed that the vehicle was bringing about 30 people home from a trip to the beach when the driver lost control near T’boli town, South Cotabato
Due to series of accidents involving overloaded vehicles, all LTO regional offices were mandated to enforce Sections 32 and 51 of Republic Act (RA) 4136 or the Land Transportation and Traffic Code.
“It is unlawful to allow passengers on board the cargo or freight provisions of a truck, including pickup vehicles,” reads a portion of the memorandum signed by LTO Assistant Secretary Edgar Galvante.
“We’re urging our drivers to obey and take this regulation to heart because this is also for the safety of their passengers,” Gonzaga said.
Gonzaga made the call in the wake of the intensified enforcement in the region of Sections 32 and 51 of Republic Act 4136 or the Land Transportation and Traffic Code that prohibits the operation of vehicles that exceed their registered passenger capacity.
Gonzaga said a significant number of motorists have already been slapped with the P5,000 penalty for such violation since the renewed enforcement started last week.
The violators are mostly owners and drivers of cargo trucks, multicabs, Bongo-type trucks, and pickups, he said. Multi-cabs and pick-ups are often used to carry workers to and from work areas aside from it carrying cargoes and goods.
Gonzaga said there have been criticisms on the matter from vehicle owners but noted that the agency is just complying with the provisions of RA 4136. “Many motorists were already apprehended and penalized because of this. So we’re really appealing for the cooperation of everyone,” he added.
Victor Emmanuel Caindec, LTO 7 Director, said in a press conference Wednesday, October 9, 2019, that his office started informing local government units (LGUs) of this directive.“We already informed the LGUs but we will also send them formal letters with copies of the directive so they will be aware since we observed that most of those violating this are government trucks,” he said.
Anyone caught violating this, Caindec said, would be charged with overloading or reckless driving. RA 4136 imposed as penalty a fine of P2,000 to P3,000 pesos and suspension of the certificate of public convenience for overloading vehicles.
Caindec also called on construction companies to refrain from using dump trucks to ferry workers.-Editha Z. Caduaya
