LTO slaps motorcycle dealership with P300 thousand fine

CEBU, Philippines —  Three branches of a motorcycle dealership company have been penalized by the Land Transportation Office for violation of the revised rules and regulations on the accreditation and stock reporting of manufacturers, assemblers, importers, rebuilders, dealers and other entities authorized to import motor vehicles and its components.

LTO assistant secretary Edgar Galvante has slapped Des Strong Motors Inc. in Cebu a total of P300,000 fine for the violations committed by three of its branches--- two in Danao City and one in Toledo City.

Des Strong Motors Inc. violated the Administrative Order No. AVT-2014-023 for releasing unregistered motorcycle unit; failure to register the motorcycle unit within seven days after the date of sale; and fraud and misrepresentation for submitting fraudulent stock sales periodic reports.

The violations were discovered after the three motorcycle units acquired from the said dealership were apprehended. The motorcycle owners filed a complaint against the dealer following their apprehensions. 

 Kirk Gregor Alarin and Aileen Tangalan were both apprehended on March 4, 2020 for driving a motorcycle without plate number and failure to carry the certificate of registration and official receipt. Alarin and Tangalan said they both acquired their motorcycle from Des Strong Motors Inc. in Danao City.  Another complainant was Nick Salaritan who was also apprehended on March 4, 2020 in Toledo City.

  “A show cause order was thereafter, transmitted to Dr. Silvestre A. Lumapas Jr., president of Des Strong Motors, Inc., by Region 7, however, from the records, no reply was received,” Galvante said in  three separate decisions dated March 24, 2021.

 Galvante said that upon evaluation of the complaints he found out that the three branches of the said motorcycle dealership company violated the rules and regulations. — FPL (FREEMAN)