The Land Transportation Office (LTO) on Friday clarified that the confiscation of license plates by traffic enforcers or any of their deputized agents is prohibited as alternate penalty instead of impounding the vehicle itself as warranted by law.
LTO chief Jay Art Tugade issued this clarification amid mounting reports that LTO units and their deputized agents routinely confiscate vehicle license plates.
In a memorandum, LTO Chief Jay Art Tugade emphasized that traffic enforcement units and deputized agents are forbidden from confiscating the license plates of traffic violators if the apprehended motor vehicle cannot be impounded.
The memorandum under Joint Administrative Order (JAO) No. 2014-01 stipulates that a driver’s license, student permit, or motor vehicle can only be flagged if the apprehending law enforcer cannot immediately administer the relevant penalty to the vehicle or driver.
“In all instances where the penalty includes the confiscation, suspension or revocation of a driver’s license or student permit, as well as the suspension or revocation of the registration of a motor vehicle or impounding the motor vehicle, and the same cannot be immediately implemented, the driver’s license, the student permit, or motor vehicle, as the case may be, shall be placed on alarm until the proper penalty may be implemented,” Tugade said, citing the JAO. .
He gave assurance that LTO central command can swiftly relay information about flagged motor vehicles to law enforcement officers in the field.
