LTO to beef up inspections on roadworthy vehicles
LAND Transportation Office (LTO) chief Asst. Secretary Vigor Mendoza II revealed that roadworthiness inspections do not only cover Metro Manila but across the country just in time for the long vacation starting from the conduct of barangay elections to the All Saints’/Souls’ Day where hundreds of thousands are expected to travel to their respective provinces.
Mendoza has vowed to intensify the campaign against colorum public utility vehicles to make sure that travelers or vacationers will be safe and secured on the way to their hometowns or tourist destinations up to the time they return.
Last Wednesday, the LTO impounded at least 15 PUVs during an anti-colorum operation at the Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX).
A team headed by LTO-National Capital Region director Roque Verzosa, also conducted surprise drug testing that resulted in the apprehension of five drivers who yielded positive results.
The impounded units are composed of nine buses, three UV Express, two jeepneys, and a taxi cab. Eight of the buses were colorum or had no pertinent papers while the other unit was found to have defective spare parts and no license plate.
He said it is also part of Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista’s priorities to rid the road of colorum units which are taking a big chunk to the legitimate operators who are religiously abiding by government rules and policies.
