Justice secretary ‘accepts’ return of LTO boss

MANILA, Philippines—Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said Tuesday she would not oppose the return of Land Transportation Office chief Virginia Torres to her post, saying there was no legal hindrance to her decision to go back to work.

Speaking at a news briefing, De Lima refused to further comment on Torres’ return from a two-month leave of absence.

“It’s not going to be spontaneous anymore, it’s not going to be sincere anymore,” De Lima replied when asked for her reaction.

“There is really no legal impediment to her coming back because there is no action yet on the recommendation. There’s no reason for me to insist,” she added.

Torres and De Lima had engaged in a word war after a Department of Justice fact-finding panel that the justice secretary created recommended the LTO chief’s suspension.

The DoJ panel’s recommendation was in connection with Torres’ role in an alleged attempt to forcibly take over the Stradcom Corp. office by one of the factions claiming ownership of the LTO’s lone IT provider.