PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. yesterday ordered the suspension of Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III over alleged corruption under his leadership and ordered a thorough investigation of the complaints against him, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said.
“The President does not tolerate any misconduct in his administration and has instructed the immediate investigation of this matter. He strongly condemns dishonesty and duplicity in public service,” the PCO said in a statement.
Earlier in the day, the transport group Manibela said it is set to hold a nationwide transport strike on Monday, October 16, to protest alleged corruption in the LTFRB.
Manibela Chairman Mar Valbuena said Manibela is calling for immediate action on alleged corruption in the LTFRB, particularly in connection with the renewal of the franchise of the public utility vehicles (PUVs) and PUV jeepney program.
The group also called for the resignation of Guadiz and Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista.
In a press conference yesterday, Jeffrey Tumbado, the former assistant of Guadiz, alleged that the massive corruption activities in the LTFRB have reached the attention of Malacanang.
Tumbado claimed that alleged irregularities in the LTFRB started last March, saying each request for franchise renewal is met with a demand for as much as P5 million.
He said the alleged illegal irregular activities include the “ruta for sale,” “special permit for sale,” and “modification of route.”
Tumbado said the “requests” usually passed through him and he would process them based on the directives of Guadiz.
He, however, believes that Guadiz was only following orders from higher-ups.
He said specific details of the alleged corruption in the agency would be included in the case that they would file before the Ombudsman.
The charges would include violation of the Graft and Corruption Practices Act and the Ease of Doing Business law.
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) yesterday started an investigation into alleged corruption at the LTFRB involving Guadiz.
In a statement, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said an investigation has been launched regarding the allegations, adding that Guadiz was also asked to explain the allegations against him.
“We already launched an investigation on the allegations against the LTFRB. While we are already evaluating the alleged irregularities involving (Chairman Guadiz), we also issued a notice to explain against Guadiz for him to shed light on the allegations,” Bautista said.
Bautista said the DOTr does not condone corruption within the agency and its line agencies to ensure honest governance among its ranks. The LTFRB is under the DOTr.
He added the agency will continue to clamp down on erring officials taking advantage of their posts.
“We do not tolerate any form of corruption in the DOTr and will not hesitate to impose the stiffest sanction if the evidence so warrants,” he said.
In response, Guadiz said the agency will remain open to working with the government to ensure the trust the public has placed in officials in the transportation sector is not wasted.
“Just as we have always done, we will continue to fix and ensure that we remain fair in serving our stakeholders,” said Guadiz.
“As of this morning, I am in the office and I am not yet aware of any official charges filed against us, but if there is, we will deal with it because our will is clean,” he added.
Guadiz also thanked the transport groups that continue to believe in the agency’s ability to provide quality service to the public.
TRANSPORT STRIKE
Valbuena, in a press conference yesterday in Quezon City, could not say how long the strike would last but said that around 200,000 traditional jeepneys, along with UV express drivers and operators, are expected to join the protest action.
Valbuena said traditional jeeps will not ply their regular routes and instead park their vehicles in front of the LTFRB offices, including its regional offices, the DOTR office and even Malacanang.
“Sa susunod na lunes, hindi tayo bibiyahe. Dadalhin natin ang mga sasakyan natin sa harap ng LTFRB, sa harap ng DOTr, hanggang sa Malacanang na. Hindi tayo bibiyahe, doon na natin ibubusina ito, doon na natin itatambak ang mga sasakyan (On Monday, we will not ply our routes. We will bring the vehicles in front of the LTFRB, DOTr, up to Malacanang. We will not ply our routes, we will honk our horns and park our vehicles there),” he said.
He expressed confidence the members of the transport group would support and survive this round of transport strike since they were able to survive during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic when they were forced to stop plying their routes.
Valbuena also opposed the December 31 deadline for the phasing out of old jeepneys and replacing them with the more modern and “expensive” mini-buses.
Over the months, transport groups have been calling for an extension on the modernization deadline, saying the new vehicles are too expensive for most operators and drivers.
‘LIBRENG SAKAY’
The LTFRB announced yesterday the return of the “Libreng Sakay” (free ride) service contracting program for jeepneys and buses beginning in November until the end of December.
In a press conference in Quezon City, Guadiz said the program’s P1.3 billion budget and joint circular have been approved and will include free rides on popular routes such as the Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) busway.
“This month we’re going to release the funds. We’re bringing back free rides. We will start in Metro Manila and we’ll include jeepneys,” Guadiz said, adding the program will serve as an early holiday present to the public.
The service was first launched in 2020 under Republic Act 11494 or the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act to help the public in the midst of the pandemic by providing free transportation and additional income to participating public utility vehicle drivers and operators.
President Marcos Jr. continued the program’s previous implementation until it ended in December 2022. — With Myla Iglesias
