Three alleged drug users were successively arrested by joint personnel of the Cordillera offices of the Land Transportation Office (LTO-CAR), Highway Patrol Group (HPG-CAR), Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA-CAR) and the La Trinidad Municipal Police Station during a joint law enforcement operation within the vicinity of the Benguet Agri Pinoy Trading Center (BAPTC).
LTO-CAR regional director Francis Ray Almora disclosed that the purpose of the joint law enforcement operation was to implement pertinent provisions of Republic Act (RA) 10586 or the Anti-Drug and Drunk Driving Act to ensure the safety of the motorists and the travelers.
He claimed that at the start of the operations, the 3 truck drivers immediately tested positive for substance use that prompted the authorities to subject them to confirmatory tests at the regional crime laboratory in Camp Dangwa to facilitate the filing of the charges of violation of the provisions of RA 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Law against them once their confirmatory tests will yield positive results.
Under RA 10586, motor vehicle drivers who have been found to be using drugs or under the influence of liquor while driving will be meted the suspension of their issued driver’s license and the validity of the same shall only be restored after the concerned drivers shall have presented proof that they have undergone the required rehabilitation for a period of 6 months.
Director Almora pointed out that the issue on their violation of RA 9165 will be under the jurisdiction of the PDEA-CAR and the Philippine National Police for the filing of the appropriate charges against them depending on the results of the confirmatory tests.
According to him, the joint law enforcement operations will be conducted along various roadlines in the different parts of Baguio and Benguet or the meantime to ensure that motorists plying the said routes will not be under the influence of drugs or alcoholic beverages to ensure that they will be spared from the occurrence of untoward incidents that pose a serious threat to life and limb.
Almora appealed to motorists who will be encountering some delays in their travel because of the surprise joint law enforcement operations that will be conducted to understand the situation because what matters is the overall safety of the travelers and for them to be spared from drivers that are using drugs and are under the influence of liquor when driving their vehicles as the same poses a serious threat to their safety.
He reminded motorists to adhere to the implementation of the laws, rules and regulations governing the same so that they will not encounter unnecessary delays in their travels and to lessen their exposure to incidents that might compromise their safety in the future.
The LTO-CAR official asserted that the joint law enforcement operations will be conducted along various roadlines in the region to guarantee the compliance of motorists to the rules and regulations governing land transportation and to instill discipline among motorists that will avoid the occurrence of road crashes that will put to risk life and limb and for motorists to be able to safely reach their desired destinations inside and outside the Cordillera.
He stipulated that the arrest of the suspected drug users among the truck drivers should serve as a warning to others who have not been apprehended to start reforming to prevent them from being apprehended and suffer the consequences of their illegal activities that will have an impact in the overall safety of motorists when on the road. By HENT