LTO Central Visayas suspends office chief in Camotes Island Group

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

CEBU CITY — The Land Transportation Office in Central Visayas (LTO-7) has issued a 90-day preventive suspension against the chief of its extension office in the Camotes Island Group.

LTO-7 Director Victor Caindec said they conducted a random personnel audit and found out that LTO Camotes Islands Extension Office acting chief Editha Soco was not on her post.

LTO-7 Camotes Islands Office is located some 71 kilometers northeast off mainland Cebu. The group of islands, which is part of Cebu province, are composed of the towns of San Francisco, Poro, Tudela, and Pilar.

Soco, for her part, produced documents to prove she was present, including a copy of security logbook and a photocopy of a passenger ship manifest as proof that she traveled to Camotes Islands.

Caindec, however, had the manifest validated with the Philippine Coast Guard but the original copy did not include Soco’s name on the list.

Soco, who has been working at the LTO-7 for 30 years, is living in Cebu City.

A further investigation was already forwarded to LTO chief Jay Tugade against Soco for “loafing from duty during regular office hours, dishonesty, and falsification of public documents.”

While under investigation, Soco was placed under a 90-day preventive suspension.

RELATED STORY:

LTO 7 suspends driving school, instructor for illegal issuing of driving certificates

JPV