LTO exec denies conspiracy in takeover of Stradcom building

MANILA, Philippines - Land Transportation Office chief Assistant Secretary Virginia Torres yesterday tagged as “outright lie” the claims made by IT provider Stradcom Corp. that she and other officials of the agency had conspired with the group that tried to take over the firm’s building last year and that she allegedly had prior know­ledge of the incident.

In a statement, Torres said Stradcom’s new claim “was merely conjured up to make it appear that we have something to do in that incident.”

“As responsible officials of the agency, we have to protect the interests of our office and more importantly the public. What we merely did was to specifically instruct our security personnel not to meddle in the intra-corporate dispute and to ensure that there would be no disruptions in the operations of LTO,” she said.

Stradcom Corp. on Tuesday released a purported report from the security provider of the LTO, allegedly showing that Torres earlier instructed the LTO security guards not to assist Stradcom during attempt to takeover the firm’s building on Dec. 9.

Urduja Security Services, Inc. supposedly reported that Torres instructed the security guards “not to join in the tension between the Security Agencies Butler Security Agency and the incoming Unilateral Security Agency for takeover of the Stradcom compound” the night before the incident on Dec. 9 last year. 

Stradcom had earlier accused the LTO chief of conspiring in the failed takeover with the other group of security guards and the group of former partners – Bonifacio Sumbilla and Aderito Yujuico – of the owner of Stradcom, Cezar Quiambao.

But Torres qualified that she made the instructions as a precautionary measure in connection with the previous incident in which there was also an attempt to take over the Stradcom Corp. building located inside the LTO premises.

Go on leave

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has suggested Torres to go on leave while she was defending herself from allegations by the LTO’s computerization contractor Stradcom Corp., that she had conspired in the failed takeover of the Stradcom building in the LTO compound last month.

DOTC Secretary Jose “Ping” de Jesus, Jr., admitted that they have earlier made the suggestion to Torres for her to go on leave while answering the charges.

However, he said that with the case already forwarded to the Department of Justice, they were leaving it to the DOJ to decide on the matter.