DOTr Commends LTO Region VII Anti-Corruption Drive

The leadership of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) commended the move of Land Transportation Office (LTO) Region VII of purging its ranks of those involved in corruption.

In a statement, DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade commended the ongoing efforts of the LTO Region VII, citing its measures against graft and corruption that aim to regain the public’s trust in the agency’s services.

"We welcome the anti-corruption initiatives of LTO Region VII. It is our hope that these measures will strengthen public trust in the agency. We reiterate that corruption of any form will not be tolerated, and those who will be found guilty shall face the full extent of the law," Tugade was quoted as saying.

One of the step made by the LTO Region VII was the slapping of a complaint against former LTO Talisay Extension Chief Engr. Bernardo Borromeo Jr. before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas on June 27 and November 14 last year for corruption allegations.

According to investigations, the LTO Talisay Extension Office was found to have an unusually high volume of transactions, with the registration of motor vehicles under Borromeo’s supervision exceeding more than 1,000 times the maximum ideal number prescribed in the LTO Citizen’s Charter.

Aside from that, the 8888 Citizen's Complaint Hotline received numerous complaints, alleging that Borromeo received fees ranging from PHP1,000 to PHP2,000 per transaction.

In addition to that, Borromeo was also found to have logged in for almost 22 to 23 hours on all days of the week, which was verified by the LTO IT Audit Trail Report by STRADCOM.

On the other, the LTO Region VII has collaborated with th National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) regarding reports and hotline complaints pertaining to 'fixing' activities.

This led to the apprehension of four individuals, including one former employee at the LTO Tagbilaran District Office who was found to have manufactured and distributed fake licenses. All individuals' cases have been filed and are pending in court.

A total of seven officers and employees were reshuffled from January 2018 to March 2019, which was approved by LTO chief Assistant Secretary Edgar Galvante.

The LTO Region VII has opened four temporary offsite printing offices, with two offices at SM Seaside City Cebu, one at Robinsons Galleria, and one at Island Central Mactan Cebu.

Relatedly, three new licensing centers were opened to disrupt operations of fixers surrounding LTO offices. These licensing centers are under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) agreement, at no cost to LTO Region VII.

LTO Regional Director Victor Caindec said that they will continually improve services and monitor their employees to ensure zero corruption in all district offices.

"The measures we have taken to regain public trust are just the first in a continuing process to free our regional office from corruption. The Filipinos deserve an honest and efficient government agency," Caindec was quoted as saying.