DUMAGUETE CITY -- Change has been the order of the day for the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in this city in 2018, since its new chief, Alberta Janine F. Lawas, took her post last March.
In response to President Rodrigo Duterte's call for a more efficient bureaucracy, the physical aspect of the office has undergone a facelift, also its administrative operations, to improve public service.
Initially, Lawas led her staff and even their office's partner insurance firms' personnel in literally rolling up their sleeves to clear the surroundings of their office of dead leaves and trash that have been stuck there for years.
The office interior was also refurbished, repainted, and renovated, with air conditioning units up and running to provide a cool workplace for employees and a comfortable waiting area for clients.
“Employees who are satisfied with a good physical work environment can function better and are more productive,” Lawas said.
The office facade has also been landscaped, and the women's comfort room is now even "more comfortable."
“Clients being served by the LTO district office have noticed the changes from previous years and we have had positive feedback,” Lawas said.
The moment she assumed her post, Lawas had a bell hung in a conspicuous spot in the office. This is for each satisfied client to tap, whenever they are satisfied with the service they get.
The impounding area was also organized. It is no longer the cluttered spot in the office, previously described by many as an eyesore. The impounded motorcycles are neatly tucked at the impounding area, but the owners have not reclaimed these for a long time, presumably due to the high cost of fines.
Lawas laments, though, that there is not enough space to hold the impounded motorcycles, but she is hoping that Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo will make good his promise to provide an impounding area for the purpose.
Faster, efficient service
With the new five-year validity of driver’s license in place, the LTO-Dumaguete office aims to serve its clients as quickly as possible, Lawas assures.
Unless there are unforeseen events, such as technical glitches, a client applying for a new driver’s license can secure the license within the day.
Starting out with just one machine for the printing of plastic cards, the LTO district office now has two, allowing it to accommodate up to 150 license applicants per day on a first come, first serve basis.
Instead of being given priority numbers, the people are now asked to queue up starting at 7 a.m. at the front door to the office, with the security guard ensuring an orderly line.
Lawas, though, admits that her office sometimes gets bogged down a bit, like running out of plastic cards which come from the LTO regional office in Cebu.
At the moment, her office is accommodating only new applications for driver’s license and still does not have the authority for renewal transactions, which is being done by the LTO satellite office at the Robinsons Place shopping mall in Barangay Calindagan.
The LTO-Dumaguete District Office now also has no noon break, for continuous public service, and a cellular phone deposit box has been installed for the employees to keep their mobile phones while at work.
The "fixers" have also been stopped, Lawas said.
Acknowledging its limitations, especially on deputized agents, the LTO district office has strengthened its ties with the Highway Patrol Group (HPG) in implementing traffic laws.
Both offices continue their roadside inspections on a regular basis on the enforcement of Republic Act 4136, or the Land Transportation and Traffic Code, and increase their visibility and operations on special occasions, such as during Holy Week and All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.
The LTO regional office in Region 7, together with the LTO-Dumaguete District Office and the provincial HPG, conducted this year a deputation seminar-workshop for Philippine National Police (PNP) personnel in Negros Oriental.
However, the LTO in Region 7 still has yet to release the deputation orders for the PNP personnel who had undergone training.
Community relations
One of the projects that the LTO-Dumaguete office and the provincial HPG had embarked on this year to enhance community relations, is the conduct of the so-called Information, Education and Communication (IEC) for schools and other groups, especially fleet trucking services, on RA 4136.
Lawas said both LTO-Dumaguete and the HPG have conferred with the Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NOCCI), headed by Francel Martinez, and former NOCCI president Edward Du, now Central Visayas regional governor of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, for the possible creation of an association for motorcycle dealers.
Lawas said there is a public clamor for motorcycle dealers to hasten the registration of purchased units.
She explained that when a motorcycle unit is purchased from a dealer, the latter takes care of the registration of the unit.
While the buyer can bring home the motorcycle after purchase, he or she cannot drive the same unless the registration papers are released by the LTO.
Motorcycle dealers tend to wait for a certain number of units purchased before they begin processing the registration papers, thus the delay in the release, said Lawas.
Mandatory helmet law
As Dumaguete City has two monikers, “The City of Gentle People” and the supposed “Motorcycle Capital,” the implementation of mandatory wearing of helmets by motorcycle riders remains a contentious issue.
For many years, the motorcycle-riding public in this provincial capital of Negros Oriental had enjoyed the “exemption” from Republic Act 10054, otherwise known as The Motorcycle Act of 2009.
This came about after city officials in 2012 went to court seeking exemption from the said law.
However, in 2018, Land Transportation Office (LTO) and Highway Patrol Group (HPG) announced a full implementation of the mandatory helmet law after “uncovering” a court decision dismissing the special civil action for declaratory relief with prayer for a preliminary injunction.
According to Lawas, it appears that a regional trial court judge had dismissed the city officials' petition in 2012, but for some reason, the mandatory helmet law had never been implemented in Dumaguete until she became head of the LTO district office.
With a new LTO regional director named this year, Lawas said her office received instructions to implement the helmet law. The same is true with the HPG, who also got a separate directive from a higher authority.
When the announcement for the implementation of the mandatory helmet law was made, majority of the motorcycle-riding public, backed by some politicians in Dumaguete, vehemently opposed the measure.
Summoned to explain, the LTO-Dumaguete District Office and the provincial HPG officials told a regular city council session that they are only mandated to implement the law but do not have the authority to amend it.
The city officials were advised to elevate their concerns to Congress instead.
For his part, Dumaguete Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo announced that as a lawyer, he is supporting the law but also admitted that he would rather have the local governments given the discretion or authority to make their own legislation regarding the wearing of helmets.
For now, more and more motorcycle drivers and back riders here are already wearing crash helmets, although many more continue to defy the law.
On to 2019
Despite the hitches faced this year, Lawas has assured that under her leadership, the LTO-Dumaguete District Office will target to further improve its services in 2019.
One of the projects already in her mind is the improvement of its database, Lawas said.
“We will have to segregate our database to make it easier for us to do our regular reporting,” she explained. “Right now, our database is not specific as to the violations committed by the riding public. What we have is just a total of the number of apprehensions for a particular period covered, but we need to break that down into specific violations.”
Another target is take the “Best Brigada Ahensya Award” of the Civil Service Commission next year.
The office was invited to compete this year in all four categories but failed to make it, "most likely due to lack of time for preparation," she said.
Lawas said she is willing to sit down any time with anyone, who may have complaints, suggestions, and even assistance for the LTO-Dumaguete District Office to further prosper.
“I thank my staff, local government officials, the private sector, partner law enforcement agencies, and all those who have contributed for us to be able to do our job well this year, and may we have a better year up ahead,” she added. (PNA)
