Dennis Gasgonia

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<p>MANILA — Road safety advocate and vlogger James Deakin on Thursday fired back at the Land Transportation Office, saying it had failed to address how the agency allegedly  &quot;inflated&quot; the traffic citation against his son.</p><p>Deakin reacted to the press conference conducted by LTO chief Markus Lacanilao who reiterated that Deakin&#x27;s son committed a traffic violation on the Skyway last December.</p><p>&quot;They also added a new charge: the vehicle he was driving was also unregistered,&quot; he said in his latest social media post. </p><p>The vlogger reiterated that they did not contest the traffic violation but complained regarding the LTO&#x27;s 15-day deadline to settle the citation.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/1/6/vlogger-james-deakin-complains-about-lto-s-inflated-traffic-charges-vs-son-1922"><strong>Vlogger James Deakin complains about LTO’s ‘inflated traffic charges’ vs son</strong></a></div><p>&quot;We both admitted as much from the very beginning. He also took the ticket, didn’t contest it, and paid the fine—effectively closing the case... So framing it like it is new information feels more like deflection than anything else,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;The main issue was the 15-day deadline that included the eight or nine days the LTO were closed, as well as the demands for unnecessary paperwork that is not in the Citizens Charter. Those are the questions that people wanted answers to.&quot;</p><p>Deakin also said he did not use social media irresponsibly when he vented his complaint online.</p><p>He narrated that he even consulted lawyer and motoring enthusiast Robby Consunji for clarification on the reckless driving charge.</p><p>&quot;So you can imagine my surprise when I see Mr. Consunji on social media yesterday taking a stab at me saying that social media is not the venue to get these problems solved when I literally went to him first,&quot; said Deakin.</p><p>Deakin added that he had expected the LTO to address the situation when the agency issued a statement saying they will investigate the matter.</p><p>The vlogger was also puzzled regarding the LTO&#x27;s announcement during the presser that his son drove an unregistered vehicle.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/weather-traffic/2026/1/7/lto-james-deakin-s-son-cited-for-reckless-driving-in-unregistered-vehicle-1216"><strong>LTO: James Deakin&#x27;s son cited for reckless driving in unregistered vehicle</strong></a></div><p>&quot;This was the first time for me to hear of that... For context, this is not our vehicle. It was a loaner. I accepted it in good faith as it had the conduction sticker and temporary plate—but regardless of that, I understand that ignorance is no plea for the law so I accept full responsibility for not having double checked it first before letting my son drive it. I own that,&quot; he said. </p><p>Still, he pointed out that the traffic enforcer failed to cite the issue on the day his son was confronted.</p><p>He added that the LTO also failed to clarify their 15-day rule which included the days when their offices were closed.</p><p>He also argued that there seemed to be a double standard in LTO &quot;brushing off&quot; a serious backlog in the release of license plates and cards &quot;[y]et when we miss the deadline, even when you’re closed, it’s automatic suspension and public shaming.&quot;</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fJRrNDe0KSw?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Road safety advocate and vlogger James Deakin on Thursday fired back at the Land Transportation Office, saying it had failed to address how the agency allegedly "inflated" the traffic citation against his son.</p>

Road safety advocate and vlogger James Deakin on Thursday fired back at the Land Transportation Office, saying it had failed to address how the agency allegedly "inflated" the traffic citation against his son.

James Deakin says LTO 'deflecting the issue' on son's traffic violations

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James Deakin says LTO 'deflecting the issue' on son's traffic violations

Dennis Gasgonia,

ABS-CBN News

Published January 08, 2026 06:18 PM PHT

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