The Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) recently held a meeting, which discussed the alarming number of traffic violators all over the country, resulting in the suspension of 671 drivers’ licenses over the course of the Holy Week break.

Most of these drivers were involved in road accidents, while some were involved in illegal drugs, as confirmed via a surprise testing with the help of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

Based on Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon’s statement, the high number of traffic violations, particularly those resulting in accidents, road rage, and involving drug use among drivers, strongly suggests that the current processes for screening both drivers and motorcycle riders before they are granted licenses are inadequate. He implies that the sheer volume of these incidents points to a flaw in the system’s inability to properly assess and ensure the qualifications and skills of those operating vehicles on Philippine roads.

_{DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon}

Speaking to the press, Dizon said that aside from the numerous drivers they’ve suspended, there’s also the issue of reckless motorcycle riders and said that the government’s measures are not sufficient to ensure that only qualified and skilled drivers are permitted to be behind the wheel.

That said, the DOTr has directed the LTO and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to create a new task force to conduct a sweeping review of the existing road safety policies and the processes of driver’s license issuance.

While the DOTr’s focus on stricter licensing aims to improve road safety, its impact on the deeply rooted problem of fixers remains questionable. Decades of corruption within its attached agencies suggest that a systemic change beyond revised procedures will be necessary to dismantle these illicit networks.