Automotive vlogger and writer James Deakin aired his disappointment with the Land Transportation Office (LTO) following an incident involving his son, which he shared in a Facebook post on January 5.
According to Deakin, the incident occurred along Skyway Stage 3, where his son missed his intended exit due to unfamiliarity with the area and unintentionally crossed a double yellow line.
Deakin explained that he has always been intentional about teaching his son responsible driving. He enrolled him in what he described as the most comprehensive driving course in the country, and emphasized not only knowing traffic rules, but also understanding and respecting them.
In his post, Deakin stressed that his son went through the entire licensing process without any special treatment, stating, “Then I made him go through the entire LTO licensing process the legitimate way. No fixers. No shortcuts. No ‘padrino system.’ I made that a point. If he was going to drive, he was going to earn it properly and be part of the solution, not the problem.”
After the traffic stop, Deakin reviewed the ticket when his son returned home and noticed that the violation had been classified as reckless driving in addition to improper lane change or disobeying traffic signs. He expressed concern over the classification, explaining, “When he got home, I checked the ticket and noticed the Skyway officer classified it as ‘Reckless Driving’ on top of the ‘improper lane change’ or ‘disobeying traffic signs’—which is all it actually was.”
Under Philippine law, reckless driving carries heavier penalties and is considered a criminal offense. Deakin shared that this raised serious concerns about its potential impact on his son’s future, including employment opportunities, insurance, and travel.
Based on the issued ticket, the family was given 15 days to settle the violation. However, due to the holiday season, they delayed the process and attempted to visit the LTO during the period between Christmas and New Year, only to find that the office was not open on Saturdays.
When they asked when they could return, they were told to “come back on the 5th.” After spending hours processing the case, LTO staff requested the vehicle’s OR/CR, despite the details already being reflected on the ticket and the fact that the car was not owned by Deakin’s son.
After submitting the required documents, the family was informed that they had exceeded the 15-day deadline, making Deakin’s son’s driver’s license subject to a one-month suspension.
Deakin pointed out that the LTO office had been closed for eight of the 15 days allotted, but staff clarified that the count included weekends, holidays, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, and government-declared non-working days.
Toward the end of his post, Deakin expressed frustration over what he described as the slow processing of government agencies, criticizing the system that citizens financially support. As someone who produces content and writes extensively about automobiles, he said the experience left him deeply disappointed with the LTO.
