A TOP OFFICIAL of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) in Davao Region said they always aim to maintain their integrity despite the corruption allegations leveled against their suspended chairman, Teofilo Guadiz.
“In Region 11, we are adhering to integrity. For example, naa silay reklamo sa mga fees, unsa ang fee mandated by our memorandum circular by the law, mao lang to among gina follow,” LTFRB XI Legal Officer V Atty. Ernest Benz Davila said.
However, he said they could not issue any statement on the corruption allegations to prevent preempting the investigation results of the central office.
Davila stressed that the “ruta for sale” scheme is non-existent in Davao as alleged by former LTFRB senior executive assistant, Jeffrey Tumbado.
Tumbado later withdrew his statements against his former boss, Guadiz III, including Department of Transportation (DOTr) officials and the Office of the President in his affidavit of recantation issued Oct. 11.
“After a careful reflection and deliberation, it is my honest desire to reiterate whatever allegations may have been said during the press conference on Oct 9, where the public declaration was made were all unintentional and misguided,”
“ All of the things said were borne out of impulse, irrational thinking, misjudgment, poor decision making and were encouraged by some individuals to make the statement which may have added to my confusion and affected my better judgment,” Tumbado’s affidavit stated.
It can be noted that during the press conference on Oct.9, Tumbado revealed an alleged bribery scheme in the LTFRB where public utility vehicle operators must pay up to P5 million in exchange for seamless franchise approval, modification of routes, or prioritization in permit applications.
