THE Baguio City Council has approved on first reading an ordinance reducing all unpaid fines for traffic violations incurred prior to the start of 2021 as amnesty in order to lighten the load on the Traffic and Transportation Management Division (TTMD) of the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO).
The ordinance is in response to a request by both Jan Borillo, TTMD head, and Mayor Benjamin Magalong, citing the large backlog of unclaimed license plates clogging the Traffic Enforcement Unit of the BCPO.
According to Magalong, some 2,166 license plates remain unclaimed to date.
Should the ordinance pass in its entirety, the reduction of fees is intended to encourage errant motorists to settle their violations while the fines are lessened in order to reduce the backlog that the BCPO has to handle.
Under the ordinance, all traffic violation fines from prior to the start of 2021 will be reduced to a smaller P200 fee, for three months following the enactment of the ordinance, during which motorists may pay and reclaim their license plates.
Following the three-month amnesty period, any remaining unclaimed license plates are slated to be disposed of by the Land Transportation Office (LTO).
