LTO Central Luzon chief relieved

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza has relieved the Central Luzon director of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) accused of extorting P10,000 to P40,000 a month from the agency’s field offices in Bataan, Bulacan and Nueva Ecija.

Mendoza relieved LTO regional head Manuel Bondoc, effective last Monday, upon the recommendation of Undersecretary Roberto Lastimoso who reviewed the graft complaint which at least three top LTO officials in the three provinces has filed against him.

The three are Fernando Tingin, chief of the LTO licensing office in Bataan; Abel Beltran, LTO head in Sta. Maria, Bulacan; and Rolando Castro, LTO head in Baloc, Nueva Ecija.

Last month, they lodged a complaint with Mendoza’s office, claiming that Bondoc had asked them to remit P10,000 to P40,000 to him monthly. The amounts varied according to the projected income of their field offices, they said.

They also alleged that Bondoc, a former mayor of San Simon town in this province, had been dropping the name of Vice Gov. Mikey Arroyo, eldest son of President Arroyo, purportedly for leverage in his monetary demands.

Mikey has vehemently denied any involvement in Bondoc’s alleged activities. Bondoc himself has belied the allegations against him, saying some personnel whom he initially wanted suspended for alleged anomalies, had fabricated them.

Bondoc’s accusers, however, said he threatened to relieve them from their posts should they fail to comply with his demands.

They claimed that Bondoc’s stay in office has caused "injury and demoralization" among LTO personnel in Central Luzon.

Bondoc was appointed LTO regional director reportedly upon Mikey’s recommendation. — With Ric Sapnu