Moratorium for driver’s license confiscation imposed — License confiscation by LGUs suspended for now

Drivers who’ve committed traffic violations need not worry about getting their driver’s licenses confiscated by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), or a local government unit (LGU) traffic enforcer, at least for the time being.

All 17 of NCR’s mayors have agreed to impose a moratorium on the confiscation of driver’s licenses. A meeting was held with the Metro Manila Council, the governing and policy-making body of the MMDA, and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). 

The good news is that the moratorium means that you won’t have to worry about getting your license taken away if you commit a traffic violation, the other bit is that the moratorium will be temporary. On top of this, the meeting that was held between all parties also resulted in an agreement that will see interconnectivity between the LTO to identify drivers with multiple violations. 

This development is part of a string of events, wherein the DILG pushed for license confiscation to stop. Quezon City was one of the first to heed the request, and now the rest of the LGUs in Metro Manila have followed suit. 

There will be a single-ticketing system set to be implemented by the LGUs by the first quarter of 2023, streamlining the traffic ticketing process and tying it into the LTO’s records. With that in effect, the ticketing process and the record-keeping process of the LTO will allow the strict implementation of the demerit points system, a system that helps determine a driver’s eligibility for a 10-year license among other things. 

For now, LGUs may not confiscate driver’s licenses, but the LTO retains its power to confiscate driver’s licenses as the leading law enforcement agency in implementing laws for the motoring public.