NBI nabs Bulacan LTO chief for fixer scheme

MANILA, Philippines — The chief of the Land Transportation Office in Bustos, Bulacan was arrested in an entrapment operation conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for allegedly conniving with fixers operating within the area.

Catherine Nolasco-Illescas, NBI Public Corruption Division (PCD) chief, said the LTO head, whose name is withheld, was arrested after ordering his staff to process a fixed application for renewal of driver's license.

Illescas said an NBI-PCD agent posed as an applicant for license renewal.

A fixer allegedly offered an expedited processing for P7,000, promising that the applicant need not take the required exam.

When the agent agreed, the fixer assisted the applicant in filling out forms and also instructed him to pretend to be taking the exam, even when the answers were already provided.

Illescas said that despite the applicant bypassing several steps, including the examination, the LTO office approved the license.

“Based on the transaction, the fixer handed all the documents to the chief, and then the chief handed them to the staff to process,” Illescas said.

The NBI alleged that the fixer’s family owns both the driving school and the land where the LTO office is located.

Both the fixer and the LTO chief are facing charges for violating the Anti-Red Tape Law and the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.