LTO Clarifies LGUs Lack Legal Authority to Confiscate Drivers’ Licenses Amid Bacoor Dispute

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has reaffirmed that local government units (LGUs) do not have the legal authority to confiscate drivers’ licenses from traffic violators, emphasizing its implementation of a Department of Transportation (DOTr) policy that prohibits such confiscations during apprehensions. This clarification comes amid a recent dispute with the City Government of Bacoor in Cavite, which claims its traffic enforcers are authorized to seize licenses under a local ordinance.

In a statement released on Thursday via its official Facebook page, the LTO highlighted that it is currently enforcing DOTr Memorandum Circular No. 001-2026. This directive explicitly sets a policy against the confiscation of drivers’ licenses during traffic apprehensions. The agency noted that, in compliance with this order, law enforcement officers deputized by the LTO are temporarily refraining from confiscating licenses of motorists who violate traffic laws.

The LTO further clarified that existing Supreme Court jurisprudence does not grant traffic enforcement officers the general authority to confiscate drivers’ licenses. This legal interpretation challenges the position taken by Bacoor’s local government, which on Wednesday issued a social media statement asserting that its traffic enforcers are duly authorized to confiscate licenses pursuant to City Ordinance No. 11-2019, Section 23 of the Revised Traffic Code.

Bacoor’s local government argued that a recent Supreme Court ruling limiting license confiscation authority applies only to Metro Manila LGUs under the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). Since Bacoor is outside Metro Manila, the city maintains it continues to exercise its authority under the Local Government Code and its own duly enacted ordinances.

In response, the LTO cited existing administrative issuances from the Department of Transportation and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), including Joint Memorandum Circular No. 01, Series of 2008, issued by the former Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and the DILG. These issuances recognize that while LGU traffic enforcers may issue citation tickets, they lack the legal basis to confiscate motorists’ drivers’ licenses.

The LTO urged all LGUs, traffic enforcement agencies, and motorists to comply with existing laws and regulations to ensure the fair, orderly, and just enforcement of traffic laws nationwide. The agency’s statement underscores the importance of uniform application of traffic rules and cautions against local ordinances that conflict with national policies and Supreme Court rulings.

This clarification by the LTO comes amid ongoing efforts to streamline traffic law enforcement across the Philippines, balancing local government autonomy with national legal standards. The agency’s firm stance aims to prevent confusion among motorists and law enforcers alike, promoting consistency in how traffic violations are handled throughout the country.