LTO-6 fines Iloilo City PHP 10,000 over dump truck

By Gerome Dalipe

ILOILO CITY — The Iloilo City government was fined PHP 10,000 by the Land Transportation Office Region 6 for operating a government dump truck on a public road without a license plate and with defective brake lights.

LTO-6 Regional Director Gaudioso P. Geduspan II approved a resolution by the agency’s Intelligence and Investigation Unit finding the city government liable for both violations.

“Government vehicles are expected to meet the same basic requirements imposed on ordinary motorists,” Geduspan said, adding that government agencies tasked with enforcing transportation laws should also lead by example.

The case stemmed from a social media post showing a dump truck bearing the Iloilo City government seal and marked “FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY” traveling on a public road without a visible license plate and with nonfunctioning brake lights.

The investigation unit issued a show cause order on Aug. 10, 2026, directing the city government to explain the violations.

In its response, the city government said the truck’s rear license plate, SJC 704, was discovered missing in Barangay Calahunan, Mandurriao, on July 2, 2026.

City personnel searched the truck’s parking area, its usual routes and other locations where the plate might have been lost, but they did not find it.

Despite knowing the plate was missing, the city government later deployed the truck on a public road.

The vehicle was primarily used at the city sanitary landfill and was taken outside the facility when needed for waste-hauling operations during disasters and emergencies.

In this instance, the truck was sent to Muelle Loney Street to help clear debris from a fire. The city government said the deployment was necessary because no other government vehicle capable of doing the job was available.

The investigation unit found the city government liable for allowing the truck to operate despite its missing plate.

Section 18 of Republic Act No. 4136, the Land Transportation and Traffic Code, requires every motor vehicle to display its number plates in conspicuous places at the front and rear.

The requirement applies to privately owned and government-owned vehicles.

LTO-6 found the city government liable under Section E, Title II of Joint Administrative Order No. 2014-01, in relation to Section 18 of Republic Act No. 4136.

The second violation involved the truck’s brake lights.

The city government maintained that the vehicle had undergone a pretrip inspection and that its brake lights were working properly before deployment.

The investigation unit, however, found that no pretrip inspection had been conducted before the truck was deployed.

Section 34(e) of Republic Act No. 4136 requires every motor vehicle to have at least one rear stop light capable of producing a sustained bright red light when the brakes are applied.

LTO-6 consequently held the city government liable under Section D, Title II of Joint Administrative Order No. 2014-01, in relation to Section 34(e) of Republic Act No. 4136.

The agency acknowledged that the truck had been used for an official government function involving the hauling and removal of debris after a fire.

However, LTO-6 said the truck’s official purpose did not exempt it from land transportation and road safety requirements.

Once operated on a public road, the truck remained subject to the rules governing other motor vehicles.

Geduspan stressed that land transportation laws apply to private individuals and public entities.

LTO-6 imposed a PHP 5,000 fine for the missing license plate and another PHP 5,000 fine for the defective brake lights.

The agency did not order the surrender of the vehicle’s plate or suspend its registration under Section 16 of Republic Act No. 4136.

LTO-6 considered the circumstances surrounding the truck’s official use, particularly its role in waste-hauling and disaster-response operations, and found insufficient grounds for the heavier registration sanction.

Geduspan also ordered the vehicle, with plate number SJC 704, placed under alarm until the fines were paid.