Manila: Land Transportation Office (LTO) chief Assistant Secretary Markus Lacanilao has sacked 56 employees of the agency in his first six months as part of a crackdown against corruption in the agency.
According to Philippines News Agency, these 56 individuals have been charged with administrative cases such as 'grave misconduct, serious dishonesty, gross neglect of duty, extortion, falsification of official documents,' and several other violations that affect the integrity of the LTO and its duty to provide service to the public.
'Walang puwang sa LTO ang katiwalian, kapabayaan, at pang-aabuso sa kapangyarihan. Sinuman ang mapatunayang lumalabag sa batas at sa tiwala ng taumbayan ay mananagot anuman ang kanilang posisyon (Corruption, irresponsibility and abuse of power have no place in LTO. Anyone caught breaking the law and public trust will answer for it, regardless of their position),' Lacanilao said.
Of these 56 LTO personnel, one was a presidential appointee and 34 permanent workers from the Central Office and offices in the National Capital Region, Cagayan Valley Region, Mimaropa, Central Visayas, Cordillera Administrative Region and Caraga. Some of these personnel have been placed on preventive suspensions and formally charged, while others have been referred to disciplinary bodies such as the Central Office Disciplinary Board, Regional Administrative Action Board, and the Department of Transportation for further action.
In addition, 16 job order personnel have been fired and some have been stripped of their deputation authority, including two local government auxiliary enforcers and one security guard. On the other hand, two officials from NCR and Soccskargen were issued stern warnings due to administrative lapses.
These sackings, Lacanilao said, are part of the LTO's intensified anti-corruption campaign in line with their seven-point priority agenda that seeks to uphold integrity, transparency, truthfulness, and efficient public service. 'Hindi lamang panlabas na operasyon laban sa mga pasaway na motorista at fixers ang tututukan ng LTO kundi maging ang paglilinis sa hanay ng sariling mga tauhan upang maibalik ang tiwala ng publiko sa ahensya (We won't only work against erring motorists and fixers; we will also work to clean up our ranks to restore public trust in the LTO),' he added.
He assured the public that the crackdown and investigations against corrupt officials will continue and called for their assistance by reporting cases of corruption, extortion, fixer transactions, or any other irregularities for immediate action.
