LTO-Western Visayas official sacked for beating red light

A regional official of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) was fired on Tuesday, October 26, for repeatedly beating red traffic lights in Iloilo City.

LTO chief Edgar Galvante ordered the immediate relief of Arturo Apolinar, an assistant to LTO-Western Visayas (Region 6) Regional Director Eric Lenard Tabaldo following a public condemnation by Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas.

Treñas told Rappler that the city government will still pursue abuse of authority charges against Apolinar despite his sacking.

Treñas said Transportation Secretary Arturo Tugade had informed him of Galvante’s order to Tabaldo on the firing of Apolinar.

The mayor had attacked Apolinar earlier, saying he had reported the behavior to multiple national government officials.

He called Apolinar’s firing as “justice served”.

“This ARD of LTO has been caught beating the red light 4 times. He believes he is beyond the law. LTO is supposed to implement traffic rules and regulations. How can we expect the ordinary citizen to follow the traffic rules and regulations when a high official of the LTO is beyond the law?” said Treñas.

According to a complaint by the city government’s Public Safety and Transportation Management Office (PSTMO) filed on Monday, October 25, the now-ex LTO official beat the red light at the intersection of El 98 Street in Jaro district.

He did not stop after being called multiple times and was tailed by the enforcers to the LTO-6 office at McArthur Highway in Brgy. Quintin Salas.

The traffic personnel claimed that this was the fourth time that Apolinar beat the red light, with the three previous incidents happening only last week.

Apolinar tried to defend himself on his most recent incident in a radio interview on Monday, claiming to have crossed the intersection line 3 seconds before the light switched from green to yellow. – Rappler.com

Joseph B.A. Marzan is a Visayas-based journalist and an awardee of the Aries Rufo Journalism Felowship.