LTO has only 200 breathalyzers

MANILA, Philippines — The government has only 200 breathalyzers that can be repaired and used to catch drunk drivers, the Land Transportation Office said.

LTO chief Vigor Mendoza yesterday said out of more than 700 breathalyzers bought to implement the Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act of 2013, only 200 can be repaired and calibrated while the rest are damaged and no longer serviceable.

The breathalyzers were bought in 2015 and 2017 and were distributed to law enforcement agencies.

“The first batch of 150 units was bought in 2015 for P10.2 million while the rest of the more than 600 units were bought in 2017 at more than P38,000 per unit. The total cost of these two procurements for a total of 756 units of breath analyzers was P33.8 million,” he said.

Mendoza said the company that supplied more than 600 units of breathalyzers has already closed and cannot be tapped for recalibration.

The LTO is looking for a contractor that could repair the salvageable units.

He noted that they are still determining the most cost-effective way of either repairing or just procuring new units, “because these breath analyzers are very important in the implementation of the Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act.”