LTO-6 flags driver’s license over fire hydrant obstruction

By Gerome Dalipe IV

The Land Transportation Office Region VI (LTO-6) has placed a driver’s license under alarm status after the motorist’s vehicle illegally blocked a fire hydrant during an emergency.

On May 28, a red Honda Civic was found obstructing access to a hydrant at Molo Plaza while Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) personnel responded to a fire in Barangay Habog-Habog Salvacion.

A photo of the incident went viral on social media and drew formal complaints from the BFP Iloilo City Fire Station and the Iloilo City Traffic and Transportation Management Office.

Shiela Mae C. Alulod, chief of the LTO-6 Intelligence and Investigation Unit, recommended that Regional Director Atty. Gaudioso P. Geduspan II place the license under alarm in the LTO’s digital system.

An alarm status blocks the renewal of the vehicle’s registration or its transfer of ownership until the violation is resolved.

The driver was issued a Show Cause Order on June 2 and received it in person on June 5 in Jaro, Iloilo City.

In a written reply submitted on June 10, the motorist claimed he had parked 7.6 meters away from the hydrant and submitted photographs and self-measured distances as evidence.

However, LTO investigators found that the vehicle still hampered firefighting operations and violated Republic Act No. 4136, which prohibits parking adjacent to another vehicle in designated no-parking zones.

“Reckless parking near critical infrastructure like fire hydrants puts lives and property at serious risk,” Geduspan said.

He added that the alarm status aligns with LTO Chief Atty. Vigor D. Mendoza II’s directive to enforce discipline among drivers and uphold public safety.

LTO-6 Assistant Regional Director Jeck D. Conlu said the agency is intensifying enforcement actions against all forms of traffic violations, including illegal parking.

In addition to placing the license under alarm, LTO-6 recommended a fine under Joint Administrative Order No. 2014-01 and required the driver to attend a Driver’s Reorientation Seminar conducted by the Traffic Safety Unit.