The Land Transportation Office-Negros Island Region (LTO-NIR) has launched an official investigation into a motorcycle rider caught on video blocking a responding firetruck along a major thoroughfare in Bacolod City.
LTO-NIR OIC-Regional Director Jeck D. Conlu reiterated the agency’s commitment to road safety, emphasizing that yielding to emergency vehicles is a mandatory legal requirement.
The move comes after a Facebook video went viral showing a motorcycle with plate number 857 FDF continuing to travel despite the firetruck’s activated sirens and warning lights.
The video captured the rider making no effort to yield, an act that LTO officials say potentially delayed a critical emergency response and endangered public safety.
Through the LTO Information Technology (IT) System, authorities identified the registered owner of the motorcycle. Initial findings revealed that the driver—a call center agent of legal age—does not possess a valid driver’s license, a factor that officials say will aggravate the case.
The LTO-NIR stressed that the incident points to the following violations:
*Reckless Driving: Under Section 48 of Republic Act No. 4136.
*Owner Liability: Under Section 29 of the same law, which holds vehicle owners liable for allowing unauthorized or unlicensed individuals to operate their vehicles.
*Additional Charges: The rider also faces potential penalties for obstruction and delinquent vehicle registration.
Both the registered owner and the driver have been ordered to appear before the LTO-NIR Regional Office in Bacolod City within five days of receiving the order.
They are required to submit a verified written explanation regarding the incident, the LTO said.
Conlu warned that failure to comply with the summons will be considered a waiver of their right to be heard, and the agency will proceed to decide the case based on the evidence already available.*
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