LTO targets 'historic' P43-B revenue in 2024

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has ramped up its collection target this year, seeking to raise P43 billion in revenues but without issuing more traffic violation tickets to motorists.

In a statement, the LTO said Thursday that the P43-billion revenue target is 28% higher than the P31-billion mark it set in 2023, "which made it historical for the agency since it is the first time that the LTO increased its collection goal by such a huge number."

The LTO plans to achieve this through an aggressive information drive and strategies promoting on-time vehicle registration renewals. The agency said it wants to "convince" delinquent vehicle owners to comply with renewal rules.

LTO chief Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza II said that hitting the revenue collection target is critical to achieve not only for the programs and projects of the agency, but also the initiatives set by the Marcos administration in line with the "Bagong Pilipinas" vision.

"Even with our limitations, we have to do it together because we have to generate more revenues for our agency, for the national government, and for the Filipino people as a whole," Mendoza said.

The LTO chief clarified that the increased revenue drive should not be viewed that the LTO would focus more on apprehending motorists, saying "this would defeat the overall intention of the agency to impose initiative among the motorists to be law-abiding at all times, even if no one is looking and threatening them for arrest."

Noting that Filipinos are among the most active social media users in the world, Mendoza said he would like to encourage more people to comply with obligations that come with ownership of a motor vehicle and a driver's license.

"Kung ako ang tatanungin, ayaw ko na may maraming nahuhuli at mas gusto ko na may pagkukusa tayong lahat sa ating obligasyon sa pamahalaan. That is why our main challenge is how to convince our kababayan to do their part in terms of being responsible and law-abiding citizens," Mendoza said.

(If you ask me, I don't want a lot of apprehensions. It's better that we all take it upon ourselves to fulfill our obligations with the government. That is why our main challenge is how to convince our countrymen to do their part in terms of being responsible and law-abiding citizens.)

"But we know the realities on the ground. Talagang may mga pasaway at mga pilosopo gaya nu'ng mga nagsasabi na bakit kailangang mag-renew ng rehistro kung hindi naman nahuhuli? This is the part that the strict enforcement will come into play. We have to be strict in law enforcement to teach these kinds of people a lesson," he added.

(But we know the realities on the ground. There are really some stubborn and hard-headed individuals who ask, why should we renew our registration if we won't get apprehended? This is the part that the strict enforcement will come into play. We have to be strict in law enforcement to teach these kinds of people a lesson.) — Jiselle Anne Casucian/ VDV, GMA Integrated News