BACOLOD City – The Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO) is prepared to face any legal charges that may be filed against it, following a recent dispute with a local transport company.
Jose Antonio Robello, deputy officer-in-charge of BTAO, confirmed their readiness to respond to accusations during a media interview.
The controversy began after BTAO personnel apprehended eight buses operated by Choret Corporation on July 5 along Araneta Street for allegedly not displaying the required permits.
According to Robello, the buses were operating without business permits, a violation of City Ordinance 818, which regulates tow-away zones and requires vehicles to have proper franchising.
“Everybody is welcome to file charges because everybody has the right to file a case. We will answer that since we know that we have not made any violation,” said Robello.
Records from Police Station 1 showed that the drivers of the seized vehicles reported that their buses were towed without any citation tickets being issued at the time of the incident.
However, Robello clarified that citations were indeed issued based on the ordinance violations, and the vehicles were subsequently released after penalties were paid./PN
