“We are, effective today, dismissing the law enforcers involved in the incident in Panglao, Bohol,” Dizon said during a press briefing at the LTO office on Monday, March 3. The LTO operation was caught on video by a netizen, posted online and went viral.
“They are hereby dismissed immediately. Hindi na natin kailangan patagalin pa ito,” he added.
The transport chief maintained that the Department of Transportation (DOTr) will not tolerate abuse of authority from agency personnel, adding that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has said that as civil servants, government personnel are the “people’s servants and not their lords.”
Transport Assistant Secretary for Road Transport Retired Col. Jojo Reyes was tasked by Dizon over the weekend to personally investigate the incident.
“Wala pong magja-justify sa nakita nating dahas na ipinakita ng ating mga law enforcers,” Dizon stressed.
Asec. Reyes said the 57-year-old farmer was hospitalized due to the incident.
In a related development, Dizon likewise ordered the creation of a task force to conduct a “sweeping review” of the use of LTO and Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) enforcers of motorcycles. The said task force will be led by Reyes.
He argued that the review of the current policies and regulations may be a source of abuse of enforcers in apprehending violators, giving them “too much discretion.”
“Kailangan po nating repasuhin ang current na mga regulasyon kasi baka ito ang nagiging source ng abusive behaviors ng ilan sa ating enforcers,” Dizon explained.
“We want to understand if the current policies are actually providing opportunities for abuse,” he added.
