A good governance watchdog group asks Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade to probe LTO-7 Regional Director Victor Caindec over alleged delays in the release of OR/CRs for new vehicles. | CDN Digital file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A good governance watchdog group has asked Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade to probe the Central Visayas director of the Land Transportation Office (LTO-7) over complaints of delays in the processing and release of Official Receipts and Certificates of Registration (OR/CR) of new vehicles.
Pinoy Aksyon for Governance and the Environment (Pinoy Aksyon) has sent a formal communication to the Department of Transportation (DOTr) chief to ask for the latter to look into issues thrown at LTO-7 Director Victor Emmanuel Caidec.
“Early this year, there were loud public complaints against LTO Central Visayas (LTO 7) Director Victor Caindec. The issues were valid and may need urgent probe,” Pinoy Aksyon’s letter to Tugade dated June 11, 2020 read.
Pinoy Aksyon said there was a need to revisit the complaints against the LTO-7 chief even with the nation’s attention being focused on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
“The intervention of the watchdog is fueled by complaints from stakeholders in Region 7 of inadvertent and unprecedented delays in the processing and release of Official Receipts and Certificates of Registration of new vehicles,” said Pinoy Aksyon chairperson Bency G. Ellorin.
“Those issues cannot just be swept under the rug. In these time crises, the more government should probe deep into this kind of issues,” he added.
CDN Digital contacted Caindec for comments on the group’s request to have him investigated as well as the complaints of delayed release of OR/CR, but he has not answered our call and messages as of press time.
In October 2019, Caindec said LTO-7 no longer had backlogs in the release of OR/CRs.
However, Ellorin said the issues against the government official “remain unresolved and pervasive.”
“While we would not like to speculate on the reasons, maybe perhaps, an inquiry is in order, especially now that we are gearing up to the new normal and the need for mobility re-escalates as our economy re-starts,” Pinoy Aksyon told Tugade in their letter.
As different areas start to transition to a “new normal,” Pinoy Aksyon said the availability of transportation had become a major concern considering that public transport providers were operating at a reduced capacity in order to observe social distancing.
“Both the shortfalls in public transportation and changes in the methods of doing business necessitates mobility adaptation. Mobility is essential, and the motorcycle for example is a transportation option for the poor. For this to happen, [the] government has to be an enabler, not a stumbling block,” it said.
Pinoy Aksyon added that it chose to bring up the issue to Tugade’s attention “with the firm belief in the reform agenda at the Department of Transportation (DOTr).”/dbs