LTO 7 seizes 24 ‘colorum’ vehicles, impounds 16
The Land Transportation Office (LTO) 7 has apprehended 24 alleged colorum vehicles but only 16 units were impounded for 90 days after the owners of the other eight were able to present documents.
LTO 7 Director Victor Emmanuel Caindec said that of the 16 units, three are tourist buses, whose owners will have to pay P1 million each in fine, while the rest shall pay P200,000 each.
This is based on a joint administrative order ( JAO) 2014001 issued by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and its attached agencies, LTO and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).
“There is no let up in this campaign against colorum vehicles,” Caindec said.
He said the latest apprehension is an addition to hundreds of vehicles, mostly motorcycles, that are now at the LTO impounding areas on C. Padilla St., Cebu City and in LTO district offices including in Toledo City, Carcar City, Lapu-Lapu City, Bohol and the Motor Vehicle Inspection Service (MVIC).
“Our designated team is now conducting inventory of all apprehended colorum vehicles which are no longer claimed by their owners so we can dispose of them especially that the rental of the impounding areas is high,” Caindec said.
He said they will ask for the opinion of the Commission on Audit (COA) on how to dispose of the unclaimed vehicles.
“While the inventory is on-going and we are seeking guidance from COA, we are also waiting for the owners to claim their vehicles,” Caindec said.
He said they will also validate with LTFRB the documents submitted by some owners if these are genuine or not.
Earlier, LTFRB 7 Director Ahmed Cuizon said that although they are undermanned, they are continuously running after colorum vehicles.
Recently, Cuizon negotiated with the a landowner in Carcar City for a permanent impounding area that will be a “one-stopshop” to store suspected coloum vehicles.
Once realized, Cuizon said, all the apprehended vehicles in Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental and Siquijor will be impounded there./