Oplan BanTal: Are Aug. 5 citation tickets still valid? CCTO answers

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Citation tickets issued on the first day of Oplan BanTal’s full enforcement remain valid despite the city’s subsequent decision to reopen the Foodland Flyover to motorcycles, Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) head Raquel Arce said on Friday.

Arce issued the clarification after motorists questioned whether traffic citations issued on Wednesday, August 5, had become invalid when the city lifted the motorcycle ban on the flyover the following day.

“No. It’s legit,” Arce said when asked whether the Aug. 5 citation tickets had become null and void.

She maintained that traffic enforcers based the apprehensions on existing traffic signs and long-standing traffic rules, not on a newly created regulation.

“Naay signage nga ‘No Entry’ […] So, as far as kadtong mga dakop are concerned, legit to siya nga dakop. Dili to siya sayop nga dakop nga mao’y atong grounds for invalidity,” Arce said.

(There was a ‘No Entry’ sign […] So, as far as those apprehensions are concerned, they were legitimate. They were not erroneous apprehensions that would serve as grounds for invalidating them.)

She added that some motorists also received citations for crossing solid lane markings, an offense that existed long before Oplan BanTal took effect.

Not her call to cancel tickets from Oplan BanTal

Although Arce insisted the citation tickets remain valid, she acknowledged that some motorists have raised legitimate concerns because city officials earlier described Oplan BanTal as a traffic scheme still undergoing evaluation.

“Naa sad silay punto,” she said. (They also have a point.)

However, she stressed that she does not possess the authority to invalidate citation tickets simply because the city later modified one aspect of the traffic scheme.

“Dili ako ang right person moingon nga ato nang i-cancel kay beyond na sa akong authority,” she said. (I’m not the right person to say that we should cancel them because that is already beyond my authority.)

Instead, Arce said any proposal to cancel citation tickets must pass through the Traffic Management Committee (TMC) Board before reaching the mayor and other approving bodies.

She had already advised concerned motorcycle riders to present their concerns before the TMC Board.

“I’m not closing the door,” Arce said. She emphasized that the issue could still undergo proper administrative review.

Cancellation follows legal process

Arce also rejected suggestions that CCTO could simply void the citation tickets administratively.

She said she has never practiced canceling citation tickets during her tenure because doing so without proper authority could expose the office to allegations of unfairness or corruption.

“Kung mag-practice ta ana nga ang enforcer pwede maka-cancel sa iyang citation, ako pud pwede maka-cancel sa citation sa enforcer. Dili na siya fair,” she said.

(If we practice allowing enforcers to cancel their own citations, then I could also cancel an enforcer’s citation. That wouldn’t be fair.)

According to Arce, any cancellation would require review by the TMC Board, endorsement to the mayor, action by the Cebu City Council, and subsequent government auditing requirements.

Moreover, she noted that the lengthy process could even extend beyond the two-month reglementary period for traffic citations.

Oplan BanTal policy change

The clarification follows Thursday’s decision by the Cebu City government to reopen the Foodland Flyover to motorcycles, barely a day after authorities began full enforcement of Oplan BanTal.

The city removed the “No Entry” signs before reopening the flyover at 8 a.m. Thursday and installed new signs directing motorcyclists to use the designated outermost lane before entering and after exiting the flyover.

Arce earlier explained that the adjustment responded to both public complaints and the CCTO’s own assessment of traffic conditions, but stressed that the change did not invalidate previous apprehensions because the prohibitory signs remained in place when traffic enforcers issued the Aug. 5 citation tickets.

She reiterated that motorists should continue to follow posted traffic signs, road markings, and lane assignments as Oplan BanTal remains under evaluation while authorities refine its implementation.

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