4,804 traffic violators arrested in 1st quarter

TRAFFIC violators apprehended in various police operations in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, increased four times in the first quarter this year.

Acting city police Chief Senior Superintendent Jonathan Pineda said records at the police station show a total of 4,804 motor vehicles were apprehended from January to March, almost four times higher than 1,270 recorded during the same period last year during the incumbency of the then police Chief Superintendent Jovito Atanacio.

Pineda replaced Atanacio in November 2017.

As soon as he assumed office, Pineda said he ordered daily random checkpoints in different parts of the city, with no less than 10 motorcycles a day apprehended.

He said majority of the apprehended motor vehicles were motorcycles, although four-wheeled and other vehicles were also the subject of inspection or apprehension during random checkpoints.

Pineda explained that motorcycles were usually the subject of random police checkpoints and other operations due to some reasons, like the riding-in-tandem suspects in many shooting and killing incidents, as well as robbery cases.

“Pangalawa’ng consideration is nganong motor ang i-stop natin and di ang four-wheels, kita mo naman ang Dumaguete, traffic, kaya maka cause tayo ng traffic sa dalan,” (a second consideration on why we flag down motorcycles is that as you can see, there is much traffic in Dumaguete and we can add to the traffic in the streets,” he said.

Dumaguete City is widely known as the “motorcycle capital” in the Philippines, with thousands of units plying the city streets, excluding those that are coming in and out of the city from other towns.

Pineda further said the police would flag down four-wheeled vehicles if these appear “suspicious”, or if an alert for a particular subject vehicle is put out.

The police chief, however, could not give a breakdown of the apprehended motor vehicles during the first quarter.

Violations range from driving without a license, no registration papers and the absence of accessories, like side mirrors, signal lights and mufflers, among others. (PNA)