Groups accuse LTO chief of corruption; DOTr’s Bautista wants explanation

FILE PHOTO: Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista orders Land Transportation Office (LTO) chief Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza II to explain after a group accused him of corruption and betrayal of public trust, among others. Photo from LTO’s official website

MANILA, Philippines — Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista ordered Land Transportation Office (LTO) head Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza II to explain after a group accused him of corruption and betrayal of public trust, among others.

In an open letter, the Coalition of Good Governance urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to remove Mendoza from his post over alleged violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

The group also said that Mendoza must be replaced by someone who has the “trust and confidence” of the current Department of Transportation (DOTr) chief and is “serious about anti-corruption efforts in LTO.”

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Another open letter accused Mendoza of failing to implement the Land Transport Management System (LTMS) as the LTO chief did not issue a memorandum moving the LTMS program forward and did not fully decommission the previous LTO IT system.

Groups Federated Land Transport Organizations of the Philippines, Konsumo Pinas, Magtulungan Tayo, Philippine Transport Monitor, Samahan ng Kabataan para sa Kabuluhang Pagbabago, and Kamalaya Consumer Cooperative signed this open letter.

They also said Mendoza did not do anything about the “continued failure” of the previous IT provider of LTO. They likewise asked Marcos to replace Mendoza.

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“The allegations about LTO Asec. Vigor Mendoza – (i) betrayal of public trust, (ii) grave abuse of authority, (iii) loss of trust & confidence, (iv) acts prejudicial to the public, reputational risk against the Philippine government & (vi) corruption, among others – are ALL serious accusations that demand in-depth investigation & equally serious affirmative action,” DOTr Sec. Bautista said in a statement Tuesday.

“Thus, I already required Asec. Vigor Mendoza of LTO to immediately submit his explanation & comments on the allegations, for our proper disposition and appropriate recommendation to the President, if necessary,” he added.

In a statement also on Tuesday, Mendoza denied all the accusations hurled against him.

“All the allegations that were raised in the paid advertisements are false and are plain and simple desperate effort to mislead and misinform the public for whatever reasons or personal agenda that they have,” the LTO chief said.

“First, it is under my watch – and based on the instruction of [President Marcos] and [Sec. Bautista] – that system glitches in all LTO digital transactions were properly addressed through the consolidation and migration to the new IT provider that was contracted by the government.”

“With the hard work of our IT experts, 97 percent of all vehicle transactions are now being processed under the LTMS while the LTO is now 100 percent in driver’s license transactions. We are heading towards a reliable digital infrastructure for all LTO transactions and we will not be distracted by these unfounded allegations,” he also said.