TMEU collects P1.7M from erring drivers
The city government has collected some P1.7 million from fines and penalties imposed on erring drivers from January to June of this year.
The June 2007 collection report of Rafaelito Jamolo, then in-charge of the Licensing Section at the City Hall Detachment, showed that a total of P1,782,640 was collected for the period covering 129 days. Data showed that it was in the month of June 2007 that the city government has collected higher fines and penalties. For the month of June, the fines and penalties to erring drivers amounted to P348,920. The figure covers 21 apprehension days.
The collection for the month of April is lesser compared with the other months in the first and second quarter of the year. It only amounted to P247,100. The lower collection was attributed to the number of days the traffic aides have made. For the same month, the Traffic and Management and Engineering Unit (TMEU) only conducted operations for 18 days. There are 30 days in the month of April.
In January, the fines and penalties imposed to erring drivers reached P257,580; February, P292,420 within 20 days operation while in March, they have collected 316,750 in 22 days operation. And in the month of May 2007, the collection for fines and penalties amounted to P319,870. It covers 21 days operation.
The figures on the collected fines and penalties is expected to rise with the changes of the procedures imposed by the Traffic Technical Working Group (TWG). The TWG decided that all the drivers will pay their fines and penalties at the City Treasurer's Office (CTO) and get their license at the TMEU in the City Proper and not at the Licensing Section at the Iloilo City Hall.
The transfer of the office was the TWG's answer to the mounting complaints of the drivers that certain personnel at the Licensing Section at the City Hall Detachment is asking some fee from as low as P20 to P100 for the speedy release of their licenses.