Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez on Friday ordered the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to suspend the confiscation of driver’s licenses and extend the lead time for settling traffic violations to 15 working days.
In a statement, Lopez said the directive follows President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s order to streamline and clarify procedures in apprehending erring motorists.
In a January 9 memorandum, he instructed the LTO to halt license confiscation and to “revisit all pertinent issuances to ensure consistency across all existing policies.”
“The new memorandum circular shall take effect immediately,” Lopez said.
Under the new rules, apprehended motorists will no longer have their licenses immediately confiscated. Instead, licenses will be placed under alert and will only be suspended or revoked if the violation is not settled within the prescribed period.
Lopez also clarified that the settlement period has been adjusted from 15 calendar days to 15 working days to “afford both the government and the public sufficient time to resolve cases.”
“Ibig sabihin po nito, hindi kasama ‘yung mga holiday at long weekend sa bilang ng araw kapag magse-settle ng violation ‘yung driver,” he said.
The policy change came after vlogger James Deakin raised concerns over alleged inflated charges and difficulties in settling traffic tickets during the holiday season due to the previous deadline.
Deakin later said Lopez personally called to apologize and explain the new procedures.
Earlier, the LTO said Deakin’s son had been apprehended for reckless driving and operating an unregistered vehicle on the Skyway.