If you need any indication of how bad the state of motoring in the Philippines is at the moment, look no further than how much the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in fines year after year.
The LTO says that it has collected a whopping P986.5 million in fines for various traffic violations across the Philippines. This is just in the first half of 2024 alone, by the way.
The LTO says that figure comes from the 330,073 motorists caught for traffic violations from January 1 to June 30. LTO head Vigor Mendoza II said that he expects that sum to go up once all the erring motorists have settled their fines.
“Inaasahan nating mas tataas pa ito as soon as mag-settle ng penalties and fines ang mga nahuli. Kaya we are asking them to settle on time because failure to do so would only result in the payment of higher fines and penalties. In short, mas malaki ang babayaran na,” the official said.
“As much as possible, we in the LTO do not want motorists to pay any fine or penalty. But in the interest of the rule of law and road safety, we have to do this if this is what it takes to compel them to be disciplined and behave while on the road,” he added.
The LTO's revenue collection target for 2024 is P33 billion. This will be covered by traffic violation fines and other sources of income like motor vehicle users' charges and driver’s license applications and fees. Do you think the agency will be able to reach its target? Let us know in the comments.
