MANILA, Philippines — The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has issued a Show Cause Order against a television host after a viral video allegedly showed the driver operating an SUV without a seatbelt and getting out of the vehicle while it was on the road.
The LTO did not identify the TV personality in its Sept. 22 news release, but said the driver was seen in a video operating the vehicle without wearing a seatbelt while his companions recorded themselves singing inside the SUV.
A video that circulated on social media was identified by some netizens as the footage referenced in the agency's announcement.
The video shows "Eat Bulaga" co-host Ian Red driving an SUV. Among those seen in the video are fellow "Eat Bulaga!" hosts Maine Mendoza, Miles Ocampo and Ryzza Mae Dizon.
Some social media users identified Red as the TV personality referred to in the LTO's announcement. The agency, however, has not publicly confirmed his identity.
The agency said it acted after the video reached its attention, prompting it to issue a Show Cause Order against the registered owner and driver of the vehicle.
“After the viral video of the hosts recording themselves while singing inside the vehicle reached the agency, the Land Transportation Office (LTO), under the directive of Assistant Secretary Markus V. Lacanilao, immediately took action and issued a Show Cause Order against the registered owner and driver of the vehicle in connection with the violations seen in the video,” the LTO said.
“At the end of the video, the driver can also be seen getting out of the vehicle while it was on the road, leaving its door open, and then getting back inside,” it added.
The LTO ordered the registered owner and driver of the SUV to appear before its Intelligence and Investigation Division (IID) on Sept. 29 for a hearing.
The driver was also directed to submit a sworn statement or explanation, along with documents that could support his side, to address the possible violations of failure to wear the prescribed seatbelt device and reckless driving.
The agency will also look into the possible declaration of the driver as an “Improper Person to Operate a Motor Vehicle,” which could result in the suspension or revocation of his driver's license.
The LTO immediately imposed a 90-day preventive suspension on the driver's license while the investigation continues. The driver was ordered to surrender the license to the agency, while both the license and the vehicle were placed under alarm status.
“There is nothing wrong with creating content and having fun inside a vehicle, but safety should never be set aside for this. As a licensed driver, he knows his responsibility to wear a seatbelt, remain focused while driving and follow other existing traffic laws,” Lacanilao said.
The incident also circled back to Republic Act No. 8750, or the Seat Belts Use Act of 1999, which requires the use of seatbelts by drivers and front-seat passengers of covered motor vehicles.
The law was approved on Aug. 5, 1999, with Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III among the lawmakers associated with the measure. Sotto is also one of the pioneer hosts of "Eat Bulaga!."
