ILOILO CITY – The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has banned a German from driving for one year anywhere in the country after committing two separate violations in Iloilo province.
THE GERMAN banned from driving anywhere in the country. (LTO-6)
The German, who is temporarily residing in the town of Santa Barbara, Iloilo, was initially stopped by an LTO-6 enforcer last July 3 for failure to wear his seatbelt while driving in the neighboring town of Cabatuan. The German violated Republic Act No. 8750 or the Seatbelts Use Act of 1999.
A follow-up investigation found out that the German also exceeded the 90-day validity of his foreign-issued driver’s license as stipulated under Republic Act No. 4136. The German arrived in the country last Feb. 25 and was only allowed until May 25 to drive without a Philippine-issued driver’s license.
LTO-6 Regional Director Atty. Gaudioso P. Geduspan II approved the driving ban as recommended by Mae C. Alulod of the Investigation and Intelligence Unit.
“We are upholding both road safety and due process,” said Geduspan in a statement. “Drivers must comply with the mandatory seatbelt law and secure the proper license for their entire stay (in the country),” added Geduspan.
The German filed a complaint against the LTO-6 enforcer for alleged misconduct and unlawful confiscation of his Alien Certificate of Registration (ACR) identification (ID) card which was issued by the Bureau of Immigration (BI).
An LTO-6 internal probe found no misconduct as shown by the body-cam footage of the enforcer. The footage also showed the German consented in surrendering his ACR ID card because he did not have a passport or a local driver’s license to prove his identity.