The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has raided an establishment in Quezon City allegedly involved in selling second-hand right-hand drive motor vehicles.
LTO chief Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza II said initial intelligence-gathering revealed that the store was engaged in selling such vehicles, which are illegal in the country.
The operation, carried out with the assistance of the Quezon City Police District, stemmed from social media monitoring related to the transactions.
“Under the law, the mere presence of right-hand drive vehicles in the country is illegal, as they should not have been imported in the first place,” Mendoza said, citing Republic Act 8506.
Republic Act 8506, or An Act Banning the Registration and Operation of Vehicles With Right-Hand Steering Wheel in any Private or Public Street, Road or Highway, states: “It shall be unlawful for any person to import, cause the importation of, register, cause the registration of, use, or operate any vehicle with its steering wheel on the right-hand side thereof in any highway, street or road, whether private or public or of the national or local government.”