President Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law a measure that will establish an extension Land Transportation Office (LTO) in Tubigon.

The measure, which was introduced by outgoing First District Rep. Rene Relampagos at the House of Representatives, was signed by Duterte on April 12, but was made public by the Presidential Legislative Liason Office on May 23.

The LTO office in Tubigon will be under the jurisdication of the LTO Bohol District Office, as stipulated in Republic Act 11276 or An Act Establishing an Extension Office of the Land Transportation Office in the Municiaplity of Tubigon.

At the Senate, the counterpart measure of Relampabos’ House Bill 6319 was sponsored by Senator Grace Poe and was passed on third and final reading on February 6, 2019.

“The setting up of an extension in Tubigon is very strategic to complete the establishment of LTO offices in the ‘four-corners’ of Bohol, so to speak, with its location in relation to the three other LTO offices in the province,” Relampagos said in his explanatory note in the bill.

“The proposed extension office will help decongest the heavy load of the Tabilaran City LTO Office and will also serve nearby municipalities, hence, decongest other LTO offices as well,” he added.

According to Relampagos, the establishment of the office will also prepare the LTO for an upsurge in vehicle registration and permit and license applications.

The new LTO office is expected to provide convenience to a slew of residents in Tubigon and nearby towns as they will no longer have to travel to Tagbilaran City for transactions with the agency.

Tubigon is a first class coastal municipality and a first district town bordering the second district. (RT)