A new “unified penalty system” against traffic violators will be rolled out in the first quarter of 2023, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) said on Tuesday.
LTO Assistant Secretary Jay Art Tugade said the “single ticketing system will establish a uniform definition for traffic violations and use a common and unified penalty system across all cities,” ABS-CBN News reported.
The official was quoted as saying that the LTO can monitor the performance of drivers via a “common demerit point system.”
“We will make sure na yung privilege to drive ay mapupunta lang sa mga karapat-dapat,” he said.
The single ticketing system “is not to increase the penalty but to have a penalty that will serve as a deterrent,” Tugade said, noting that some cities impose a P300 fine for the failure to wear helmets, while others have a P1,500 monetary sanction, ABS-CBN News further reported.
The official said this is part of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s order is to “restore the trust and confidence of the public” to the LTO.
Tugade, who was also recently named as head of the LTO was further quoted saying that the ticketing system is also part of the campaign agains fixers, corruption in the agency, and as a way to improve customer service.
“I will make sure not only to impose administrative liability kapag kayo ay nahuli ko but… criminal liability ang aking ipu-pursue,” the official said.