Land Transportation Office Central Visayas (LTO-7) head Victor Caindec. /CDN File Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines—The Land Transportation Office in Central Visayas (LTO-7) was commended for its continuing efforts to cleanse the agency of corruption.
Secretary Arthur Tugade of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTr) lauded the efforts of LTO-7 in acting against erring employees in the region, according to a post on the LTO-7 Facebook page.
“We welcome the anti-corruption initiatives of LTO Region VII. It is our hope that these measures will strengthen public trust in the agency,” Tugade said.
“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.”
LTO-7 filed a complaint against former LTO Talisay Extension chief Engr. Bernardo Borromeo Jr. before the Office of the Ombudsman –Visayas on June 27, 2018 and November 14, 2018 for alleged corrupt practices.
During an investigation, they found that LTO Talisay Extension Office had an unusually high number of transactions, with 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.
There were also complaints coursed through the 8888 Citizen’s Complaint Hotline, claiming that Borromeo received fees ranging from P1,000 to P2,000 per transaction.
Caindec had also revealed that there were complaints against alleged ‘fixing’ activities in the LTO Tagbilaran district office. LTO forwarded complaint letters to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for the latter to conduct an investigation.
The NBI then conducted a probe on the allegations, which led to the arrest of four individuals, including a former employee of LTO Tagbilaran.
The former LTO employee was found to have manufactured and distributed fake licenses. All individual cases have been filed and are now pending in court.
LTO also conducted reshuffling of officers and employees from January 2018 to March 2019 to prevent familiarity and corruption issues, a measure approved by LTO chief Assistant Secretary Edgar Galvante.
Caindec maintained that they would 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,” he said. /dcb