IATF: Non-essential travel will be ticketed, license confiscated

PNP-HPG to ticket non-authorized persons on non-essential trips

Motorists will be subjected to stricter inspections at checkpoints on major roads after the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on the coronavirus pandemic noted more cars on the roads of Metro Manila lately.

Cabinet Secretary, Karlo Nograles, has authorized the Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to inspect all private vehicles and issue tickets to drivers and riders caught transporting non-authorized persons or on non-essential trips. Violators can expect to recieve a Temporary Operator's Permit (TOP) and have their license confiscated.

According to the government’s earlier advisories regarding movement during the enhanced community quarantine, only authorized persons outside their residences (APOR) are allowed to travel. Authorized persons include medical and healthcare workers, employees of essential services, and other frontliners.

"If the driver or any of the passenger is unauthorized, HPG will issue LTO-TOP (Land Transportation Office- Temporary Operator's Permit) or MMDA-OVR (Metropolitan Manila Development Authority-Ordinance Violation Receipt) tickets against drivers of private vehicles transporting unauthorized persons outside residence," said the spokesperson of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on the coronavirus pandemic.

People with quarantine passes are also allowed to leave their home, but only for essential tasks such as buying food, medicine, and other basic items. They are discouraged from venturing far from their homes.

"Napapansin po ito ni Pangulong Duterte at mga miyembro ng IATF na medyo nagiging kampante na po ang ating mga kababayan pagdating sa ECQ (President Duterte and members of the IATF have noticed that people are now more complacent when it comes to the Enhanced Community Quarantine)," said Nograles.

According to the PNP, as of April 13, there are have been 108,088 violators of ECQ rules.

Earlier today, the MMDA and PNP-HPG conducted such an inspection at EDSA, VV Soliven southbound.