969 Traffic Violators Were Caught During the “One-Time, Big Time” Operation

Cherryl Anne Cruz • November 27, 2019 • 0 • 71

What happens when the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) join forces to do a nationwide operation to strictly enforce traffic laws on all 17 regions in the Philippines?

You catch around 969 traffic violators–all in a space of a day.

This “joint operation”, which complied with President Rodrigo Duterte’s directions, lasted only for a day. According to LTO Assistant Secretary Edgar C. Galvante, it’s part of the LTO’s program to help lessen or avoid road crash accidents in the Philippines.

“The LTO has been conducting Operations against road traffic violators, in coordination with various concerned agencies. This continuing activity aims to prevent road crashes nationwide,” LTO Assistant Secretary said.

“Not Acceptable Anymore”

The move to enforce this program came after a number of fatal road accidents have happened in the country. According to a letter written by an NCR regional director to the National Capital Region Police Office, Debold Sinas, the number of road crash accidents in the Philippines has cheapened lives. The letter further enumerated the past incidents when these accidents have taken place:

October 19, 2019 – all trucks loaded with 43 passengers and 20 sacks of palay fell in a ravine. It caused the death of 19 passengers / farmers.
November 6, 2019 – road crash along the highway of Pamplona, Camarines Sur caused the death of 8 UV express van passengers.
A speeding bus heading to Manila avoided a tricycle without tail lights by overtaking it. This resulted to a head-on collision with a UV express van, and caused death of 8 passengers.

Meanwhile, LTO has released data regarding these infringements and detailed the offenses. They tallied the most “violated” traffic laws with in all the 969 arrests, and came up with the following:

RA 4136 – 546; No Seatbelt – 195
No Helmet – 118
Anti-Distracted Driving – 16
Child Safety on MC or RA 10666 – 18
Anti-Overloading – 76 violator

“One-Time, Big-Time” Event

Dubbed as a “One-Time, Big-Time” event, this ambitious program required coordination not just with the Land Transportation Office’s Law Enforcement Service and the Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG), but also the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), and other local government units.