19 motorcycles impounded, owners summoned by LTO after illegal drag race in Bulacan
The completion of the Bulacan Bypass Road, which spans from Guiguinto to San Rafael, has provided easier access to several towns. The new route also significantly reduced travel time, effectively bringing Nueva Ecija and Cagayan Valley closer to Metro Manila.
While the multi-lane bypass road serves travelers and trucks carrying essential goods from Cagayan, Nueva Ecija, and Bulacan, it has also attracted groups of motorcycle riders who use it for illegal racing and gambling.
That said, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) has taken firm action against this illegal street racing, placing 19 motorcycles involved under alarm. Acting on a report from the PNP-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG), the agency has issued Show Cause Orders (SCOs) to the registered owners, summoning them to explain their liability for a series of traffic violations on August 17.
The PNP-HPG operation on the said bypass road led to the arrest of 12 adults and the holding of 12 minors, some as young as seven years old.
The riders were caught driving without licenses, not wearing helmets, and operating motorcycles without plate numbers. The situation’s gravity unfolded when a fleeing rider hit a minor during the police operation.
LTO Chief, Asec. Atty. Vigor Mendoza II, expressed his outrage over the blatant disregard for public safety and the involvement of children.
“Bukod sa pagkarera sa isang public road kung saan may mga dumadaan na mga four-wheel vehicles, nalaman natin na may mga motorcycle exhibition pang ginagawa ang mga taong ito, kasama nung mga bata…Hindi natin palalampasin ito, lalo pa at isinagawa ng operasyon dahil may aksidenteng nangyari dun at may naaksidente pa silang bata nung tumatakas sila para makaiwas sa mga pulis,” said Mendoza.
(Aside from racing on a public road where there are four-wheel vehicles passing by, we learned that these people are also holding motorcycle exhibitions, including with children... We can’t let this pass, especially since an operation was conducted because an accident already happened there and they even had an accident with a child while they were fleeing to avoid the police.)
He emphasized that the LTO will not tolerate such reckless behavior. The show cause orders are a formal demand for the owners to appear at the LTO Central Office on August 27, where they will be given an opportunity to present their side before the agency makes a final ruling—a ruling that could end their privileges to drive any type of vehicle or motorcycle for life.
