CAINDEC TELLS TOMAS: FOCUS ON CITY’S PROBLEMS
You’re penalizing the drivers for not preparing the registration. We’re preparing a charge against the LTO on that. How can you deprive the person of his vehicle because you failed to do your job and fine him P12,000?
TOMAS OSMEÑA
Cebu City Mayor
LTO 7 Regional Director Victor Caindec says that before Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña meddles in LTO affairs, he should first have the city’s 165 unregistered vehicles registered and solve the city’s traffic, garbage and flooding problems
“Ayaw ko warning-warningi. Mag-apil apil mo anang mga sakyanan nga wa’y rehistro, inyong sakyanan wa man gani ninyo girehistro.”
So said Land Transportation Office (LTO) 7 Regional Director Victor Caindec yesterday as he pointed out that 156 of the 240 vehicles under the Cebu City Government are not registered.
“They better register it or we will impound it,” Caindec warned the Cebu City Government.
But Department of General Services (DGS) chief Ronald Malacora said, “I don’t think it’s true because all of our vehicles are registered. If there are unregistered those might be out of service, inside storage or under repairs. Right now, we really don’t have vehicles running in the city that are not registered because we know the law.”
Malacora said that per records of DGS, the City has around 800 vehicles including motorcycles.
He said that he has to check the list of unregistered vehicles that the LTO 7 is referring to since most vehicle registrations of the City are done in Mindanao.
Caindec’s warning to impound the city’s vehicles came after Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña criticized the LTO for the delay in the release of vehicle registrations.
Osmeña had said that he plans to file charges against the LTO officials who are responsible for the delay.
“You’re penalizing the driver for not preparing the registration. We’re preparing a charge for the LTO on that. This is ridiculous. How can you deprive the person of his vehicle because you failed to do your job and fine him P12,000?” he said.
But Caindec said that they mayor is out of line and should just instead focus on the problems that the city is facing.
“Kung gusto siya, siya’y mopadagan sa LTO, ako’y mopadagan sa Cebu City,” Caindec said.
He said Osmeña could not even solve the garbage, traffic and flooding problems that hound the city.
“If he wants to play politics, leave LTO out of it,” Caindec said.
Caindec said that the executive order against counterflowing that Osmeña implemented was illegal, but he let it pass because
he also wants the traffic problem solved.
“Wa ko nanghilabot kay I am helping them solve their traffic problem. But when you start to interfere with our affairs, then let’s draw the line.” The director said that under Republic Act 4136, only the LTO has the right to impound cars and motorcycles.
When asked what he plans to do to stop the illegal impounding of vehicles, Caindec said, “I have a principle that if someone wants to bury his own grave, do not disturb him.”
Caindec said that those individuals whose vehicles have been impounded may file a case against the mayor in relation to the executive order that paved the way for the illegal impounding of vehicles.
Osmeña said the City will continue to implement his executive order on impounding vehicles caught counter-flowing.
The Inter-Agency Council on Traffic (IACT) will be in Cebu and they will be tasked to arrest anyone who violates traffic laws.