26/02/2020
A MUST READ FOR ALL RIDERS:
The Land Transportation Office (LTO) is color-coding identification cards for deputized personnel to properly indicate their jurisdiction.
The ID cards, which come in orange, green, blue and white, will be handed to government workers designated by the LTO to deal with specific road violations.
“Ang pagbibigay natin ng ID as deputation order, inumpisahan ng LTO nitong 2017. Ito ay magpapatunay na ang isang deputized officer ay talagang may authority sa LTO,” said Francis Ray Almora, director of the LTO’s law enforcement service office, in an interview with ABS-CBN News.
(The LTO started giving out IDs as deputation orders this year. The IDs will prove that a deputized officer is authorized by the LTO.)
Orange ID cards are for deputized personnel from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), who can call out drivers with overloaded vehicles.
Green ID cards are for deputized Department of Environment and Natural Resources personnel who can apprehend smoke-belchers.
Blue ID cards are for Highway Patrol Group officers and Metro Manila Development Authority deputies, who have the right to apprehend franchise violators.
White ID cards are assigned to LTO personnel who can apprehend drivers for all traffic violations.
“Kaya nagkaroon kami ng different coded IDs, kasi iba-iba ang batas natin, so kailangan ng iba't-ibang expertise . . . (at) para alam (ng publiko) na ito lang ang pwede nilang implement,” said Almora.
(We made different coded IDs, because we have different laws and we need the expertise of different people. This is also meant for the public, which will now know what rules the deputized personnel can implement.)
The LTO sees the color-coded ID cards as a way to cut down on illegal transactions on the road and help drivers be aware if they are being scammed by an apprehending officer.
“Hindi ka dapat mag-implement ng ibang batas . . . Halimbawa, na-limit ka lang sa smoke belching, na-train ka sa equipment for smoke belching pero hindi mo alam ang ibang laws,” Almora said.
(Deputized personnel should not be implementing other rules except for the one color they're assigned to. For example, if you're limited to enforcing smoke-belching rules, that's where you were trained and nothing else.)
The LTO said it can track traffic tickets given to drivers. If deputies issue a ticket for a violation outside their designation, the system will be alerted and their privileges can be revoked. They also assured the public that the ID cards have countersigns and security features to allow them to track fake ones.
The public can also call out deputies who are apprehending people for violations outside their designation.
Meanwhile, drivers are saying the system is confusing, adding that the LTO should have launched an awareness campaign prior to releasing the ID cards.
The LTO said such a campaign was not necessary, and that the decision was made internally and and was carried out to improve existing procedures.
The LTO has hundreds of deputies all over the country. In the main office, they have almost 500 deputies, Almora said.
