Security at bus terminals upped in Ilocos Region

By Liezle Basa Inigo

DAGUPAN CITY, Pangasinan — The director for Land Transportation Office-Region 1 (LTO-1) has directed all of its law enforcers to shift its mode from apprehension of erring motorists to enhancing security at bus terminals, following the Sept. 2 deadly bombing in Davao City.

LTO-1 Director Teofilo Guadiz said he has given instructions on LTO enforcers to coordinate with the chiefs of police where the major terminals are located.

The sudden shift is now the priority of the LTO enforcers as a consequence of the bombing incident in Davao City, he said.

Guadiz noted most LTO enforcers have sufficient skills in motor vehicle maintenance hence they are able to discern if there are “foreign and unusual” items in the public utility buses.

After the open markets, the malls and bus terminals are the most vulnerable targets of the Muslim extremist group.

“Region 1 may be far from the area of conflict but there is a possibility that the violence may spill over here,” Guadiz told the Manila Bulletin.

The LTO in region 1 will implement the conduct a random inspection of buses, specifically on the engine, the underneath chassis, and the license of the driver.

Meanwhile if the LTO enforcer has a reasonable ground to believe that there is something peculiar with the bus or that the driver has a derogatory record with the LTO, he shall notify the terminal manager and demand for a comprehensive inspection of the bus.

Meanwhile in Bulacan, Governor Wilhelmino M. Sy-Alvarado joined officials in Luzon condemning the bombing of the night market in Davao City.

“It’ll be Christmas and New Year in just a few months; out thoughts and sympathies are those with the bomb victims and their families. Many of them are now lying in hospitals,” the governor said in Filipino. -- With a report from Freddie C. Velez