Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon has ordered the immediate removal of the LTO Baguio Motor Vehicle Registration chief, Engr. Edilberto Bungaoen, from office. This is following Bungaoen’s arrest by Baguio law enforcement personnel for Driving Under the Influence (DUI).

According to Sec. Dizon, Baguio City Mayor, Benjamin Magalong, personally messaged him about the incident on June 11, when the city’s police caught the drunken LTO Baguio MV registration chief.

“The President said that people who work in the government should serve our countrymen, and not act like kings, and follow the law. And I think, if you work at the Land Transportation Office, the very first thing you should do is follow traffic laws. And driving while drunk, that’s not just a simple violation, that’s a very dangerous violation. Why? Because if you’re drunk, you can easily get into a road crash. You can easily cause a road crash,” said Dizon.

The Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act of 2013 (Republic Act No. 10586) imposes strict consequences on offenders. Those found in violation can incur fines from PHP 20,000 up to PHP 500,000, alongside potential imprisonment and the permanent forfeiture of their driver’s license.

Dizon also tasked DOTr’s Administration and Legal Division Undersecretary Atty. Giovanni Lopez, to initiate with the Civil Service Commission (CSC) the immediate termination of Bungaoen from government service.

Dizon adds that there is no room for this kind of officer in the LTO.