Senate Committee on Public Services Chairperson Senator Raffy Tulfo expressed concern over the 1,555 road crash incidents recorded by the Department of Health (DOH) Online National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (ONEISS) from March 29 to April 5 alone, during the Holy Week.
According to DOH, drunk driving cases increased by 255.8% compared to figures recorded from the previous year, despite Tulfo’s repeated calls during previous Senate hearings to the Philippine National Police (PNP), Land Transportation Office (LTO), and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to ensure use of high-quality and fully functional breath analyzers by the needed authorities to immediately identify and apprehend suspected drunk drivers on the road.
It can be recalled that the legislator questioned the PNP during their budget hearing on November 17, 2023 as to why they only had 17 units of breath analyzers out of the ₱330 million worth purchased by the government for them in 2020, along with speed guns, to which the PNP denied receiving.
Also, on August 21, 2024, the lawmaker revealed in a committee hearing that the Commission on Audit (COA) flagged the LTO because not a single breath analyzer from the ₱51 million worth of 756 units they purchased was usable—either they were defective, faulty, or not calibrated.
Due to these, the senator and his office immediately coordinated with the concerned agencies to secure updates on the status of their respective breath analyzer units.
Tulfo’s team found out that the LTO purchased breath analyzers twice from the supplier 3R Metalcraft in 2015 and 2016. However, according to former LTO chief Vigor Mendoza II, 500 units were damaged and beyond repair. Worse, the company reportedly shut down shortly after the government purchased the units.
In a report sent by LTO Executive Director Martin Ontog to Tulfo’s office, it was explained that the LTO bought 150 breath analyzer units from Philippine Blue Cross Biotech Corporation in 2015, 485 units from 3R Metal in 2017, and another 121 units again from 3R in 2017. Of these, 437 units were disposed of because they were no longer economical and beyond repair, while 100 units were unserviceable or unusable.
“There are currently 581 usable breath analyzers nationwide.”
The report further stated that the LTO decided to purchase an additional 400 units in 2025 from System Technik Machineries and Products Corporation for nearly ₱13 million, of which 362 units have already been distributed nationwide, while 38 units remain in buffer stock under the custody of their Property Section. In total, according to the report, there are currently 581 usable breath analyzers nationwide.
However, Tulfo insisted they failed to answer questions on what happened to the warranty or insurance that should have been the responsibility of 3R Metalcraft for the defective and uncalibrated units they supplied.
He further questioned as to where are the cases that should have been filed by the LTO against the negligent supplier.
With this, Tulfo stated that he will immediately initiate a Senate investigation to hold accountable and penalize those proven negligent in relation to the defective breath analyzers.
PLTCol. Chitadel Gaoiran of the PNP Highway Patrol Group (HPG) maintained that not a single breath analyzer device had been given to them by the LTO, and that if they were provided with such devices, it would greatly help their personnel.
Meanwhile, in coordinating with MMDA Director Victor Nuñez, he said that they only received a limited number of breath analyzers from the LTO. He added that they now have a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the LTO, under which their personnel will focus on road monitoring, especially during early morning hours, while the LTO will assign personnel to actively conduct breathalyzer tests on apprehended drivers during those times.
Tulfo recommended that these agencies conduct random checks on motorists not only during holidays but also on regular days. He also suggested that law enforcement agencies study and consider deploying operatives with breath analyzers near bars, clubs, and adjacent parking areas, and conduct tests on individuals there to help prevent accidents.
“The PNP and MMDA personnel still need to undergo LTO training and deputization to be legally authorized to apprehend drivers violating traffic laws, particularly drunk driving.”
On the other hand, one major issue noted by Tulfo is that PNP and MMDA personnel still need to undergo LTO training and deputization to be legally authorized to apprehend drivers violating traffic laws, particularly drunk driving.
To address this issue, Tulfo emphasized that it is high time to pass his proposed Senate Bill No. 2023 which he filed last April 6 that aims to amend the Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act of 2013. The bill seeks not only to impose stricter penalties for drunk driving but also to abolish the deputization process and equalize the authority of the LTO, MMDA, and PNP in apprehending traffic violators.
In addition, Tulfo assured that under SBN 2023, the LTO, MMDA, and PNP will each be responsible for purchasing their own breath analyzers, as they will also be allocated their own funds for this purpose.
