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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Sinampal tayo ng kahirapan': LTO summons SUV owner, driver 'unbothered' by hefty fine for illegal EDSA Busway use

'Sinampal tayo ng kahirapan': LTO summons SUV owner, driver 'unbothered' by hefty fine for illegal EDSA Busway use

Published Jun 24, 2025 01:33 pm

At A Glance

  • The Land Transportation Office (LTO) said enough is enough and on Monday, June 23, it issued a show cause order aimed at confronting both the registered owner and the driver of the Mitsubishi Montero for brazen and total disregard of traffic laws by illegally using the EDSA Busway 307 times.
photo: LTO
photo: LTO
Motorists are penalized with up to P30,000 for four consecutive illegal use of EDSA Busway but for the driver, and possibly the owner, of a sports utility vehicle (SUV) which was monitored to have entered the exclusive lane for buses 307 times, the fines, when all added up, could just be a loose change.
That SUV, a Mitsubishi Montero, is registered to a resident of an exclusive subdivision in Quezon City.
But the Land Transportation Office (LTO) said enough is enough and on Monday, June 23, it issued a show cause order aimed at confronting both the registered owner and the driver of the Mitsubishi Montero for brazen and total disregard of traffic laws.
LTO chief, Assistant Secretary Vigor D. Mendoza II said the issuance of the SCO was in response to the letter from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to identify and punish the driver of the SUV for more than 300 times of illegally using the EDSA Busway since August 12, 2022.
“The SCO was our immediate response to the request for assistance of MMDA Chairman Don Artes to look into the case of this repeat offender in the exclusive bus lane along EDSA. We already identified the registered owner and our investigation will also find out who has been driving this vehicle during the 307 times it illegally entered the EDSA Busway,” said Mendoza.
In the letter to the LTO, Chairman Artes said included in the 307 violations were 14 times it was tagged by CCTV cameras since the No-Contact Apprehension Policy was reimplemented last month.
“These deliberate violations must be sanctioned, otherwise, it would embolden other motorists to disregard the prohibition on the use of the EDSA Busway,” the MMDA letter read.
“The motorist's sense of entitlement conscious of the existing CCTV Cameras along EDSA, if allowed to persist, will be a mockery of the authorities and diminish public trust on the government's ability to enforce its laws and regulations,” it added.
Fine
The fine for the first offense for illegal use of EDSA Busway is P5,000 while the second offense carries P10,000.
The fine for the third offense is P20,000 and the fourth offense is P30,000.
And for 307 offenses, that's a huge sum of money. 
Last year, the Department of Transportation reiterated that the EDSA Busway is only for passenger buses but could also be used by highest officials of the country, as well as for emergency vehicles like firetrucks and ambulances.
Expired registration
During the verification, it was found out that the Mitsubishi Montero involved was last registered on August 3, 2022.
Mendoza said this makes the registered owner liable for violation of the Compulsory Registration of Motor Vehicles (Section 5 of RA4136), which has a separate fine of at least P10,000.
In the SCO signed by LTO- Intelligence and Investigation Division (IID) chief Renante Melitante, the registered owner was directed to bring with her the driver and to submit a written explanation as to why they should not be penalized for various offenses, including multiple disregard of traffic sign and obstruction of traffic for the driver.
The driver was also facing violation of being an Improper Person to Operate a Motor Vehicle under Section 27 (a) of R.A. 4136.
“Meanwhile, please be informed that the Mitsubishi Montero will be temporarily placed under alarm, preventing any and all transactions while under investigation,” the SCO read.
“Failure to appear and submit the written comments/explanations as required shall be construed by this Office as a waiver of your rights to be heard, and the case shall be decided based on the evidence at hand,” it added.
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