BY IME SORNITO
ILOILO City – With drag racing continuing on highways in parts of Iloilo and racers allegedly timing their runs after traffic enforcers leave, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) Region 6 is urging local governments to install 24/7 speed cameras to provide round-the-clock surveillance and deter the dangerous activity.
LTO-6 regional director Atty. Gaudioso Geduspan II said the agency cannot continuously deploy personnel to monitor highways, making the participation of local government units (LGUs) crucial in addressing drag racing.
Geduspan particularly identified the municipalities of Santa Barbara and Pavia in Iloilo Province as areas where drag racing activities have been reported, especially during the early morning hours.
“Kun itugyan sa LTO ang ina nga implementation ma-obra man namon but we cannot do it all the time kag we cannot sustain that. That’s why we need the help of LGUs,” Geduspan said.
He urged LGUs to replicate the system adopted by Sigma, Capiz, the first local government in Western Visayas to enforce its speed limit ordinance through round-the-clock speed camera operations along national highways.
Sigma’s system is linked to a centralized command center, enabling authorities to monitor traffic and document violations in real time.
The municipality’s speed regulation policy, formally known as Municipal Ordinance No. 05, Series of 2024, took effect on June 1, 2025. It prescribes speed limits for all types of vehicles within Sigma and imposes penalties on violators.
The ordinance and monitoring system were designed to curb reckless driving and prevent road crashes.
From June to December 2025, authorities recorded 2,683 speed limit violations along national highways in Sigma following intensified monitoring under the traffic measure.
Geduspan said Sigma’s experience showed that technology-based enforcement could also be used against drag racing.
“I heard ang road fatality sa Sigma has gone down significantly because of the CCTV and anti-speeding (ordinance) gin-put up a year ago. Buot silingon, effective. I suggest sa mga drag racing nga issue, kapin pa ara sa banwa nagakatabo, I suggest to practice also what is being practiced in Sigma,” Geduspan said.
He noted that Santa Barbara currently deploys traffic enforcers to monitor drag racing and other activities along national highways.
However, some drag racers allegedly wait for traffic enforcers to leave before taking their vehicles onto the highway — underscoring the limitations of manpower-based enforcement and the need for continuous electronic monitoring.
Geduspan said he had also previously suggested to former Iloilo City mayor Jerry Treñas that barangay officials and the Philippine National Police be tapped to help monitor drag racing and illegal parking, particularly along coastal roads.
Such activities pose an accident risk, especially at night because of the darkness in some areas, he said.
In Iloilo City last month, a viral video showing an alleged illegal motorcycle drag race along the Diversion Road (Sen. Benigno Aquino S. Avenue) in Mandurriao district prompted calls for an immediate crackdown.
Councilor Sedfrey Cabaluna urged LTO and other law enforcement agencies to identify those involved and impose sanctions to deter reckless racing that endangers the public.
The chairperson of the Sangguniang Panlungsod’s Committee on Transportation and Public Safety said public roads were intended for transportation — not racing — and stressed that motorists who disregard speed limits place the lives of commuters, pedestrians and fellow motorists at risk.
“Our roads are meant to be shared responsibly. Drivers should respect the speed limit because it is there to protect not only themselves but everyone using the road,” Cabaluna said.
Those engaging in drag racing have nothing to gain from such dangerous behavior, he stressed, adding that national roads are built to serve public transportation and daily travel, not as venues for racing or dangerous stunts.
Holding violators accountable would discourage similar incidents and strengthen discipline among motorists, Cabaluna explained.
Some motorists may feel emboldened to race because they believe traffic enforcers are absent from the area during certain hours, he further warned.
“That mindset has to change. Even if enforcement is not immediately visible, motorists have the responsibility to obey traffic rules at all times,” he said./PN