BAGUIO CITY — The Baguio City Police Office-Traffic Enforcement Unit (BCPO-TEU) reported unclaimed 2,166 motor vehicle and motorcycle license plates, the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) said in a statement on Thursday.
The SP said the license plates were seized between the years 2010 and 2020 during joint operations of the BCPO and the traffic aides of the City Engineering Office-Traffic and Transport Management Division (CEO-TTMD), the Public Order and Safety Division (POSD), and the barangay officials implementing Ordinance 07-1984 or the Comprehensive Transportation and Traffic Regulations for the City of Baguio and Administrative Order 116 s. of 2016 or the operation Anti-Road Obstruction (ARO).
Of the number, 1,946 were confiscated by the BCPO while 2021 were confiscated by barangay officials.
Four red plates (used by government offices) were also confiscated in addition to the 2,166 and 22 vehicles using yellow plates (public utility vehicles) were also apprehended.
Police Major Roldan Cabatan likewise reported that 774 traffic violations committed before December 31, 2020 amounting to P332,000.00 are still uncollected.
Among these traffic violations included non-observance of traffic rules, road obstruction, and illegal parking.
Cabatan said penalties imposed for these traffic violations might be very “high” that most of these confiscated plates remain unclaimed.
The BCPO-TEU requested the council’s Committee on Public Utilities, Transportation and Traffic Legislation for an ordinance reducing the fines for all unpaid traffic violations committed on or before December 31, 2020 in order to encourage erring motorists to claim their license plates.
However, Councilor Michael Lawana said that reducing the penalties might not solve the problem as the reasons of erring motorists for not claiming their confiscated license plate might not be money-related.
The councilor urged Cabatan to delve deeper into the problem and work together with other concerned agencies such as the LTO and the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC).
An ordinance addressing Cabatans’s request was proposed and approved on second reading during last Monday’s session.
Cabatan said the proposed measure shall grant a one-time amnesty which is applicable only to the owners of the 2,166 unclaimed license plates.
The proposed ordinance also states that license plates not redeemed within the three-month period shall be forwarded to the Land Transportation Office (LTO) for proper action and disposal.
Once enacted, the ordinance shall cover traffic citation tickets (TCTs) issued to traffic violators in the city on or before December 31, 2020 reducing all fines to P200.00.
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