Iloilo cops to enforce traffic laws

ILOILO CITY — To curb deadly road mishaps, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) has deputized 46 cops under the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) to enforce traffic laws. Senior Supt. Harold Tuzon, IPPO chief, said the cops now have authority to regulate traffic and sanction erring motorists by confiscating their driver’s license and issuance of temporary operator’s permit. Tuzon sought for the deputation after the rise of fatal road accidents during the past year-and-a-half. In 2016 alone, IPPO recorded 146 deaths from the 3,603 traffic accidents in 42 towns and in Passi City. From January 2017 to the present, IPPO recorded 296 traffic incidents. Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Sr. also pushed for the creation of the Provincial Task Force on Road Safety. Defensor earlier called for the need to strictly enforce existing laws, with the cooperation from both the public and private sectors. (Tara Yap)