Some 36 alleged facilitators/fixers of Land Transportation Office Lapu-Lapu City undergo a voluntary drug test at the City Sports Complex inside the Lapu-Lapu city hall compound today, Jan. 27. | Futch Anthony Inso
LAPU-LAPU CITY, Philippines — Some 18 men and 2 women, who claimed to be alleged facilitators/fixers of the Land Transportation Office in Lapu-Lapu City (LTO Lapu-Lapu), were positive of drug use after they underwent voluntary drug tests today, Jan. 27, 2023.
They were among the 36 alleged facilitators/fixers, who were told by Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan to undergo the drug test as his condition for them to be allowed to continue to ply their trade in LTO Lapu-Lapu office.
During the drug test, Chan said that they were doing this to remove in the premises those alleged fixers who were abusive and victimized LTO clients.
Chan said this in a live video that was streamed on his FB page.
Two fixers duped clients
Chan gathered the 36 alleged facilitators/fixers at the City Sports Complex at the City Hall compound after he received a complaint that led to the arrest of two alleged fixers, who duped four clients by giving them fake driver’s licenses for P21,000.
Chan said that he had tolerated the alleged facilitators/fixers at the LTO office there, which was inside the city hall compound, because these people were working to make a living by helping people get their driver’s licenses.
But he said that if he would receive complaints then that’s another story.
CLOSAP: 20 found positive for drug use
Gary Lao, head of the City of Lapu-Lapu Office for Substance Abuse Prevention (CLOSAP), for his part, said that of the 36 alleged facilitators/fixers, 20 of them tested positive for using illegal drugs, which consisted of 18 males and two females.
Lao also said that CLOSAP would reach out to those, who tested positive in the drug test, so that they could undergo rehabilitation through the City’s Community-based Drug Rehabilitation Program (CBDRP).
He also said that he also would leave it to the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office (LCPO) if they would file a case against those, who tested positive in the drug test.
“Now it was found out naay nagpositive (there were some positive results), we’ll leave it up sa (to the) law enforcement,” Lao said.
Slap on mayor’s face
As for Mayor Chan, he said that it was a big letdown for those arrested alleged facilitators/fixers, who duped their four clients, who paid P21,000 for their licenses, which turned out to be fake.
“Dakong tamparus sa atong siyudad ug sa atong mayor sa mga gihimo sa mga tawo nga nagpahimulos niining mga inosente nga mokuha og lisensya ug mopa-renew sa ilang mga sakyanan ug mopa-rehistro sa ilang sakyanan. Gipahimuslan nato ang ilang kalisod sa pagkuha ug lisensya o rehistro ba,” Chan said.
(This is a big slap on the face to the city and to the mayor about what these people did to take advantage of the innocent people, who took a license and to renew the registration of their vehicles. They took advantage of their hardship in getting their license or registration.)
Mayor: It was a big mistake
In his Facebook post, Chan said that two fixers were already apprehended by the LCPO for making fake driver’s licenses after four individuals filed a complaint at the “Isumbong ni Mayor Ahong Team.”
“Maong akong gipatawag kining mga suspect sa akong opisina ug gipanawng kanila sa dakong sayop nga ilang nabuhat,” he said.
(I called these suspects to my office and told them about the big mistake that they made.)
“Molaban man ko og pobre pero dili gyud ko molaban sa mga pobre nga magbuhat og dautan sa atong isig ka-ingon. Kontra kaayu na nako,” Chan said.
(I will be on the poor’s side and defend them but I will not defend the poor who would do bad things to other people. That is what I hate the most.)
“Dili sayon pangitaon ang P21,000 ug labawng dili sayon maghago og maningkamot aron imong makab-ot ang butang nga imong gusto apan giilad ra diay ka,” he said.
(It is not easy to raise P21,000 and most especially it is not easy to work hard so that you can get something that you have been aiming for then you will just be duped.)
“Maong di gyud ko mo-tolerate og ingon-ani. Tilawi ninyu ang saktong silot nga maoy anaa sa atong balaud,” Chan said on is Facebook post.
(That is why I don’t tolerate this kind of incident. You taste the right punishment that is in our law.)
Fixers can operate but …
Chan, however, admitted that some LTO clients would really want a smooth and easy transaction that’s why they would prefer to hire a fixer.
The mayor said that he would allow fixers to operate so that their livelihood would not be affected, but they would have to make sure that he would no longer receive a complaint against them.
“Ako dili ko gusto nga mawad-an mo og panginabuhian. Buhay-buhay lang pero tinarong nga panginabuhi. Ayaw nang panginabuhi nga saglan nato og binoang,” he added.
(I don’t want it that you will lose your means of livelihood. You just work in the proper way to achieve your livelihood. (And) Not the kind of livelihood where you include bad ways to get it.)
“Motugot ko nga mo-assist mo, motabang mo sa mga tawo nga naa diha. Pero pilion ni nato ang mga tawo nga motabang kanang mga tarong, kanang mga maayo, kanang Diniyos ang pagtabang. Mao nay atong dawaton,” he said.
(I will allow you to assist there, to help the people there. But I will choose the people who will help who are proper in their behavior, who will heartily devote their time to help. That is who I will accept.)
Chan said that he would conduct profiling of those individuals who would be allowed to assist clients of LTO.
Fake driver’s licenses traced
Police Colonel Elmer Lim, LCPO director, for his part, said that they were now conducting follow-up operations against those who were involved in manufacturing the fake driver’s licenses.
But based on their initial report, the fake license was manufactured outside Lapu-Lapu City.
“We are tracing, identifying, locating those kadtong naghimo anang fake license aron makasuhan gyud,” Lim said.
(We are tracing, identifying, locating those who made the fake licenses so that cases would be filed against them.)
Alleged LTO Lapu-Lapu fixers probe sought
Meanwhile, Victor Caindec, Land Transportation Office in Central Visayas director, issued a statement on the alleged “facilitators/fixers” of LTO Lapu-Lapu.
“LTO does not recognize any individual or entity who claimed themselves to be fixers of LTO, because LTO as a government agency adheres to the Anti-Fixing Law,” Caindec said on the Jan. 27 statement.
Aside from that, Caindec also said that he would seek the help of the National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI 7) to investigate and if possible file charges against these people.
“I instructed Chief Operations to write a letter to NBI 7 to secure the name of the self-confessed “LTO fixers so we can file appropriate charges, if any against them. More importantly, to get them to file affidavits and divulge names of their contacts inside the agency, if any,” Caindec said.
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