SEN. Raffy Tulfo yesterday urged the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to suspend its planned procurement of a new batch of breath analyzers until issues on its initial acquisition of the same device have been resolved.
During the Senate Committee on Public Services hearing on Senate Bill No. 1976, or the proposed Fair Traffic Apprehension Act, Tulfo was caught by surprise upon learning that the 756 pieces of breath analyzers bought by the LTO in 2017 were not only defective but also overpriced.
The senator noted that the agency bought the breath analyzers at around P68,000 each, for a total of more than P51 million, while similar devices can be bought at much lower prices in other countries.
A comparative study conducted by Tulfo’s office showed that breath analyzers are sold in the US for only P5,000 to P14,000 in Philippine currency, P3,000 in Thailand, and P22,000 in China.
LTO Director Francis Ray Almora said he has yet to get information where the agency procured their breath analyzers.
Almora said the LTO has distributed 50 pieces of the device to the PNP, and 251 to the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) which they can use when apprehending drunk drivers.
But MMDA chairman Romando Artes said they returned all of the 251 device given by the LTO because they were not calibrated.
Artes said former MMDA chairman Danilo Lim had a staff member drink an alcoholic drink so they can test the device, but it failed to detect the alcohol content in the staff’s body.
A representative of the PNP said they also returned the 51 breath analyzers back to the LTO for the same reason.
But Almora said the LTO has been able to apprehend thousands of drunk drivers “presumably” using the analyzers.
He added the agency is set to purchase another batch of breath analyzers, to which Tulfo asked him to suspend the plan.
“It is not worth it dahil pumalya ang isang P68,000 na palpak, bulok na breath analyzer. Sinayang natin ang pera ng taumbayan, Ang total nito ay P51 million. So, not a single unit ang napakinabangan… Ayusin muna natin ang problema bago kayo bumili ng mga bagong breath analyzer (It is not worth it because the P68,000 worth of device that you bought did not function. We just wasted the people’s money, a total of P51 million. Not a single unit was used…Fix the problems first before you procure new breath analyzers),” Tulfo said.
Transportation Undersecretary Jesus Ferdinand Ortega said they will ask LTO chief Vigor Mendoza to come up with a detailed report on the breath analyzers bought by the agency.
“It [procurement] will be put on hold so we can know what happened before,” Ortega said.
Artes, on the other hand, said the MMDA has no deputized personnel allowed to implement RA 10586 or the Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act of 2013 since no one among its 50 personnel sent for training qualified.
Artes said the 50 personnel could have deliberately flunked the final tests so they cannot be assigned on a graveyard shift.
“Nagpa-training kami ng tig-25 na two batches, lahat nag fail kasi sa gabi ang deployment at baka ayaw nila sa pang gabi. Kahit isa walang pumasa. So, wala kaming tao para sa Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act of 2013 (We sent two batches of 25 personnel for training and all of them flunked maybe they do not want to be deployed during nighttime. So, we do not have any personnel for the Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act of 2013),” he said.
Tulfo said the DOTr should see to it that MMDA personnel will play a role in implementing the law since these men are seen most of the time on the streets.
