COA clarifies statement on Stradcom

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Audit (COA) yesterday clarified that it never said that the interconnectivity project of Land Transportation Office (LTO) and its database provider Stradcom Corp. was illegal.

“Hindi namin sinabi na illegal,” COA chairperson Grace Pulido Tan, in an interview over TV5’s radio station said.

Tan said COA only raised the issue on why the government was not given its share in the interconnectivity fees collected by Stradcom.

Earlier reports quoted COA as saying that Stradcom illegally used the LTO database. 

Meanwhile, Margaux Salcedo, Stradcom spokesperson, said the clarification from the COA chief should dispel allegations of irregularity on Stradcom’s projects with LTO.

Salcedo also gave assurance that Stradcom welcomes any investigation.

“Stradcom is confident that it can surpass any investigation because Stradcom’s documents are all in order,” she said. 

“In fact all the mandates for the various interconnectivity projects have the stamp of the DOTC on them,” she added.

Department of Transportation and Communications Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II also clarified a press statement he issued last Tuesday, wherein he was quoted as saying that the DOTC will sue Stradcom for “unauthorized exploitation” of the LTO database. 

Roxas said what he meant is that the COA report will be handled by their legal department. 

“Sinasabi ng COA na tingnan ito at isaayos ito so pinasa natin sa legal yung COA report. Dun lang tayo nagmumula eh, kung sinabi ng COA na dapat tingnan ito, eh pinapaaral natin sa legal kung ano ba talaga ang sitwasyon dito,“ he said.