SAN FRANCISCO, AGUSAN DEL SUR—The weigh bridge along the national highway in Butuan City, a government facility intended to check overloaded cargo trucks, has allegedly became the favorite place of Land Transportation Office (LTO) personnel involved in extortion activities.

Irate log traders and tree farmers here recently told Agusan del Sur Gov. Ma. Valentina Plaza that because of the extortion activities allegedly by LTO personnel, they renamed the weigh bridge “witik (bribe) bridge.”

Ricardo Peyrera, who spoke in behalf of the tree farmers’ group, said the LTO men ask P300 per truck before the cargoes are allowed to pass.

A record from the weigh bridge in Tabon-tabon showed that at least 30 trucks loaded with falcatta pass through it every day.

Lawyer Alim Pangandaman, LTO director for Caraga, said he did not authorize the deployment of LTO personnel in the weigh bridge.

He said only workers of the Department of Public Works and Highways operate the facility. He said these DPWH personnel were also deputized by the LTO to enforce traffic laws.

Asked about the alleged extortion activities, Pangandaman said those who might be involved were only posing as LTO enforcers and most likely, do not have official identification cards, uniforms or mission orders.

Plaza said she has formed a task force to look into these complaints and that an investigation was underway.

She said she has also instructed the Provincial Law Enforcement Coordinating Council to help prosecute erring government employees, including those in another checkpoint manned by the provincial government, if they were indeed involved in extortion.

“There are no sacred cows in my administration,” Plaza said in a statement sent to the Inquirer on Thursday.

She said illegal checkpoints would also be torn down to prevent corrupt personnel from preying on hapless farmers and traders. Chris V. Panganiban, Inquirer Mindanao