Transport group files graft raps vs LTFRB chief

A transport group on Tuesday filed a graft case against Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) chairman Martin Delgra for his alleged “bias and favoritism” toward other transport groups who applied for franchises.

Efren de Luna, president of the Alliance of Concerned Transport Organizations (ACTO), filed a seven-page complaint-affidavit before the Office of the Ombudsman and accused Delgra of violating Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Aside from Delgra, De Luna also charged LTFRB board member Ronaldo Corpus for allegedly being complicit in Delgra’s acts that showed alleged bias.

De Luna said Delgra and Corpus should be preventively suspended by the Ombudsman.

The complaint stemmed from LTFRB Board Resolution No. 045, signed by both Delgra and Corpus..

Through the resolution, the ACTO president said that Delgra and Corpus gave “unwarranted benefits and preference” to a “particular entity and/or groups” who applied Certificates of Public Convenience (CPC) to operate new routes for public utility vehicles.

“Majority of the identified routes has already been given to groups and/or entities who will be the franchise applicant to the exclusion of other group and/or entity,” De Luna said.

“It is exasperating that the LTFRB would not take on other applicants on certain opened routes because such routes are already exclusively reserved and segregated for particularly applicants which is contrary to law,” he lamented. /vvp