Bayan supports call to abolish DO 39, hits corruption of the Arroyo government

Press Release

April 3, 2009

Davao City – Bagong Alyansang Makabayan registers here today its support for the abolition of Department Order 2008-39 saying “the policy should be abolished at all costs on grounds that it is unjustifiable, abusive, and highly susceptible to corruption of no less than the Arroyo government.”

“The implementation of DO 39 is obviously a conspired effort of Malacanang, the Department of Transportation and Communication, and the Land Transportation Office to satisfy their greed for money and suffice the funds needed by Gloria Arroyo to maintain her influence and post beyond 2010,” Bayan-Southern Mindanao Region spokesperson John Birondo said.

“DO 39 will not deter traffic violations of PUJ and PUB drivers as it does not address the root cause of the problem. These violations are results of the drivers’ poor education on traffic rules. This is to emphasize the fact that the corrupt practices in LTO allow the drivers to have their licenses without undergoing the necessary seminars and examinations,” Birondo stressed.

“Who among us does not know about the fixers that are rampantly operating within the LTO? And who among us would believe that the officers of LTO are unaware of these corrupt practices within their turf?” Birondo raised.

“The track record of Gloria Arroyo, DOTC, and LTO on corruption would explain the need for the abolition of DO 39. This is aside from the fact that DO 39 is nonsensical and a redundancy of existing laws such as EO 128,” Birondo added.

The Office of the Ombudsman recently tagged the five most graft-prone agencies in government which included the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in the list. “It is an understatement to claim that these government agencies are prone to corruption for they are actually doing corruption,” Birondo said.

“The drivers can no longer bare the burdens added to them by this unjust implementation not only because economic crisis is worsening but basically because they have long been exploited of their poor situation,” Birondo added.

“From the burdens of high oil prices, undue taxes, unaffordable prices of basic commodities, lack of social benefits, and redundant penalties, how do we expect our poor drivers to survive?” Birondo said.