Manila: The Land Transportation Office (LTO) is actively investigating the origin of fake drivers' licenses utilized by former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) engineers, known as the Bulacan Group of Contractors or BGC Boys, to gain access to casinos.
According to Philippines News Agency, LTO chief Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza II announced during a press conference on Friday that the agency's Intelligence and Investigation Division (IID) is conducting a thorough investigation into the dismissed DPWH-Bulacan First District engineers, including Henry Alcantara and Brice Hernandez, among others. The primary goal is to uncover the supplier of these counterfeit IDs.
Mendoza emphasized the importance of identifying the source of the fake licenses, stating, "They need to tell us kung sino nag-supply. Kung hindi man sila mismo, kung saan nanggaling, para sa ganun mahinto natin ang naging practice na 'to sa paggamit at paggawa ng fake licenses." He highlighted the ongoing collaboration with several casinos to determine if the use of fake IDs is a widespread issue among their patrons.
The LTO's investigation will also assess whether the involved engineers' authentic driver's licenses, currently under a 90-day suspension, should be permanently revoked and if they should be barred indefinitely from obtaining new licenses. Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson is anticipated to provide further information on the case by next week, with a final decision on the probe expected by September 17.
Mendoza stated, "Kapag nakuha natin 'yan, ipre-presenta natin sa kanila 'yun and then when we get their position on this matter bukod sa mga fake documents na 'to. So, after that, kung wala na silang ibang sasabihin, submitted for decision na po 'yan."
On Thursday, the LTO issued preventive suspensions against the BGC Boys for "alleged willful misrepresentation of material information in application for a Driver's License (RA 10930) and Imitation and False Representation (Sec. 31 of R.A. 4136)." During a Senate probe last week, Alcantara admitted to using an alias and a fake ID to enter a casino.
