Acop seeks clarification on LTFRB’s power to impound motor vehicles

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A veteran lawmaker in the House of Representatives is seeking an amendment to Republic Act (RA) No. 4136 so that it may explicitly state the authority of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to impound motor vehicles.

Committee on Transportation chairman and Antipolo City 2nd district Rep. Romeo Acop had this to say during a hearing of the panel on Thursday, Nov. 30, which tackled the propriety and legality of impounding.

“Kaya nagtatalo tayo rito because gray area ito. The law did not specifically provide for your power to impound,” Acop told the attending LTFRB officials.

(We are arguing here because this is a gray area. The law did not specifically provide for your power to impound.)

“So I suggest na you come up with a recommended amendment to the law para magkaroon ng (so that there would be an) express provision of your power to impound,” he continued.

Signed into law in 1964, RA No. 4136 or the Land Transportation and Traffic Code provides the system for mandatory registration and the application of licenses to operate motor vehicles among other concerns.

With this, Acop is expecting the amendment to finally put an end to colorum or unregulated vehicles.

“Pag nagko-colorum ka (When you are in colorum), it shows one thing, you are not obeying the law. From the very start, you are already violating the law,” the police brigadier general-turned-solon said.

“This must be stopped to put order in our society. Otherwise, if we allow this, there will be no order in our society,” he stressed.

“If we implement our laws, the first thing that we get is nadidisiplina natin yung tao (we can discipline the person). Kung titignan natin ang kapaligiran natin ngayon, kulang na tayo sa disiplina, kulang na tayo sa pagsunod sa ating batas,” Acop added.

(If we look at our environment today, we lack discipline, we lack compliance with our law)

Earlier this year, the Department of Justice (DOJ) stated in a legal opinion that LTFRB had no power to apprehend, impound, and dispose of colorum vehicles. Its authority extends only to the coordination and cooperation with other government agencies in the apprehension, impounding, and disposal of such vehicles. — Dexter Barro II

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