Kidapawan council declares LTO 12 enforcers ‘persona non grata’

KIDAPAWAN CITY -- Legislators here have declared ‘persona non grata’ traffic personnel from the Land Transportation Office in Soccsksargen Region (LTO-12) and banned them from doing highway operations in the city, a councilor said.City Councilor Francis Palmones, former trial court judge-turned-lawmaker, said they based their resolution on the complaints and concerns raised by many drivers and operators of tricycle and passenger vans when LTO 12 personnel conducted traffic operations along the Kidapawan highway, two weeks ago.According to Palmones, many of those drivers who were issued temporary operators’ permit (TOPs) for traffic violations sought help from Vice-Mayor Bernardo Pinol who sits as presiding officer of the Sangguniang Panglungsod.Palmones said the drivers complained about excessive penalties, the lowest of which was estimated at P10 thousand.This is apart from the so-called, ‘standard operating procedures’, which they perceived as ‘protection money.’ Palmones said that instead of LTO 12, the LTO in Kidapawan, together with the city government’s Traffic Management Unit (TMU) should lead the highway operations. We have an active TMU personnel here. They are given authority by the city LGU to apprehend traffic violators and issue citation tickets, he stressed.Palmones authored the resolution and was amended by councilor Ruby Padilla-Sison who proposed to declare LTO 12 personnel ‘persona non grata’, a Latin expression which means, person not appreciated. Sison cited the same concerns raised by a group of van and tricycle drivers and operators in Kidapawan City as basis for her proposal.The amended resolution was carried by majority of the council members during their regular session on July 13.Naga Mimbala, Senior Traffic Regulatory Officer (STRO) in Kidapawan City, defended the recent operation of the LTO 12 as part of the information dissemination on the Anti-Distracted Driving Act (ADDA). When van drivers were issued TOPs, it was because many of them have no franchise, have expired licenses, and other documents said Mimbala in a radio interview on Monday. But should the LTO central office finds merit on the resolution passed by the Kidapawan City Sanggunian, then, we will have no qualms. We will abide by it, said Mimbala.