Escudero on ‘kamote’ drivers: Revoke, not just suspend their licenses

Seeing the need to restore order on the roads,  Senate President Francis “Chiz”  Escudero on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, called for “drastic measures” against reckless drivers involved in road rage and other vehicular crashes. — SENATE PHOTO

MANILA,  Philippines—Seeing the need to restore order on the roads,  Senate President Francis “Chiz”  Escudero on Wednesday called for “drastic measures” against reckless drivers involved in road rage and other vehicular crashes.

His proposal: Revoke and not just suspend their licenses.

“Naging uso na content sa social media ang video ng mga ‘kamote’ drivers pero sa totoo lang ay hindi nakakatawa o nakakaaliw ang kilos ng mga ito. Ang daming napeperwisyo at kadalasan nauuwi sa karahasan ang mga insidenteng ito,” Escudero said in a statement.

(Videos of ‘kamote’ drivers have become popular content on social media, but their behavior is neither funny nor entertaining. These incidents cause a lot of trouble and often escalate into violence.)

“To ensure that our roads are safe from these motorists, their licenses should be revoked, not suspended,” Escudero then said.

A recent viral road altercation in Zambales involving social media personality Alyannah Aguinaldo, also known as Yanna Motovlog, has resulted in the suspension of her driver’s license for  90 days.

READ: Dizon: Abusive vlogger’s driver’s license suspended for 90 days

The May 1 Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway crash that killed 10 people and injured 30 others also led to the revocation of  the license of the bus driver involved in the incident.

READ: 10 dead in SCTEX toll plaza crash

A driver himself, Escudero lamented that road discipline, or lack thereof, remained the main cause of road problems in the country.

“We need to have order on our roads. The lack of discipline among our motorists has become a serious issue,” the Senate chief said.

“Drastic measures should be taken to restore order and revoking licenses of abusive motorists is a good first step toward achieving this,” he said.

Escudero  believes the 90-day suspension imposed by the LTO was “clearly not enough as a deterrent against bad behavior among motorists.”

“It cannot be overemphasized that having a driver’s license is a privilege and not a right. You have certain responsibilities while operating a vehicle,” he said. “Kapag walang disiplina ang motorista, dapat lang na tanggalan sila ng lisensya.”

(If motorists lack discipline, it’s only right that their licenses should be revoked.)/coa