LTO calls out barangay vehicle with 6 passengers, not cargo, onboard

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) on Wednesday questioned the use of a barangay service vehicle that was designed to transport cargo, but went viral on social media for transporting six passengers on its pickup bed.

In a statement, the LTO said it issued a show cause order (SCO) against the driver and registered owner of the pick-up truck, which had a government license plate.

This was after a photo of the barangay service vehicle – which had six persons seated on its pick-up bed – went viral on social media.

“Ang nasabing pick-up ay dinisenyo para lamang sa mga kargamento at hindi para sa mga pasahero kaya ito ay walang upuan at anumang pwedeng hawakan nila kaya lubhang mapanganib ang pagsakay nila dito lalo na at nasa pampublikong kalsada,” the LTO said.

(The said pick-up truck was designed only for cargo and not for passengers. It has no seats or safety railings that they can hold on to. It is extremely dangerous to ride this, especially on public roads.)

LTO chief and Transportation Assistant Secretary Markus Lacanilao stressed that in issuing the SCO, the safety of passengers and road users is their top priority.

“Ang pagpapasakay ng labis na bilang ng pasahero sa mga sasakyang hindi idinisenyo para rito ay isang seryosong paglabag na maaaring magdulot ng malubhang aksidente. Paulit-ulit kong ipapaalala sa lahat ng driver, sa pribado o gobyerno, na laging sumunod sa batas trapiko para sa kaligtasan ng lahat,” Lacanilao said.

(Having an excess number of passengers on these vehicles that are not designed for this purpose is a serious violation that could result in an accident. I will repeatedly remind all drivers in the private sector or government to always follow traffic laws for everyone’s safety.)

The SCO directed the registered owner and driver of the government-owned pick-up truck to present themselves before the LTO’s Intelligence and Investigation Division (IID) on January 28 at 1 p.m.

They were ordered to submit a verified comment or explanation about the incident and why they should not be held liable for administrative offenses such as reckless driving and being an improper person to operate a motor vehicle.

The driver’s license of the pick-up truck driver was also placed under preventive suspension for 90 days while the incident is being investigated.

In addition, the barangay service vehicle in question was also placed under an LTO alarm.

The LTO said the respondents’ failure to heed the summons will be considered a waiver of their right to air their side, and that the agency will decide on the case based on its documents at hand. — JMA, GMA Integrated News