LTO employee in hot water for hiring help

CEBU, Philippines - The Land Transportation Office has filed an administrative complaint for grave misconduct before the Ombudsman-Visayas against its cashier in Mandaue City LTO-District for unauthorized hiring of an outsider to work at her office.

 The LTO filed the complaint against Teresa Josefina Tambolero, of legal age, married, a resident of White Hills, Banawa in Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City.

 Dr. Danilo Dionson, an LTO accredited physician, earlier filed a complaint before the LTO Regional Office believing that one Melody Amimita is a job order worker of the Mandaue City-LTO district, but also owns an insurance firm transacting business to vehicle owners.

But Aden Belza, head of the LTO-7 Administrative Division, said they do not have an employee named Melody Amimita. The Mandaue City LTO cashier was investigated in relation to Dionson’s complaint.

The complainant claimed that in several occasions, he observed Melody  Amimita worked overtime inside the office of Tambolero encoding documents into the office computer.

In her sworn statement, Tambolero admitted that she hired Amimita to assist her in her work so that she could render a more efficient out. This meant she was the one who paid for Amimita’s salary.

Tambolero said Amimita does not own an insurance firm that operates in Mandaue City LTO district office. It is reportedly her brother, Aldwin Ebales, who owns the insurance agency.

The cashier argued that even if Amimita would transact on behalf of the insurance firm’s clients, there is reportedly nothing anomalous in the arrangement because the same is not illegal.

“Besides, there is no conflict of interest with such transactions considering that she is not an employee of LTO-Mandaue City when she made such transactions. Amimita is not a professional fixer, but rather my personal assistant,” Tambolero said.

However, it was precisely because of Tambolero’s admission that she hired the services of an outsider that LTO-7 Acting Director Arnel Tancinco filed the administrative complaint against her.  (FREEMAN)