Believe it or not, LTO no longer corrupt

Time once again for Ripley to open up the books.

Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza said yesterday that — believe it or not — the Land Transportation Office (LTO) is no longer plagued by corruption and graft.

Mendoza lauded the LTO for ridding itself of accusations of corruption and trying to build itself a new image as a model government agency in the country.

"The LTO is corrupt no more," Mendoza announced during the 93rd foundation anniversary and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2000 Certification awarding ceremony yesterday afternoon at the LTO office in Quezon City.

Mendoza explained that he had read a news report in the past that listed the LTO as the fifth most corrupt government agency in the Philippines.

However, he said, the LTO was recently taken off the list.

"The dawning of a new quality culture through the ISO standards brought a dramatic change to the LTO, as evidenced by the fact that this organization has been dropped from the published list of the five most corrupt agencies of the government," Mendoza said in his speech at the LTO’s anniversary. President Arroyo was also the guest of honor at the awards ceremonies later in the afternoon.

"It is good to know that we have transformed from a corrupt agency to a model agency," said LTO chief Assistant Secretary Anneli Lontoc, in an interview with the media following the ceremony.

The LTO has long had a reputation of attracting "fixers" who promise to process drivers’ applications for licenses, registrations and other official documents "under the table." Small-time bribes often trade hands to facilitate service, it is said.

In his short six-page speech late yesterday afternoon, Mendoza challenged the officials and personnel of LTO "to make LTO a model agency for all frontline government agencies."

"You have accepted this challenge and vowed to cohesively work towards the attainment of this goal," Mendoza said.

He added, however, that challenges still remain at the LTO. "There is room for more and continuous improvement — what the Japanese call kaizen," said Mendoza.

Mendoza also praised the agency for receiving the ISO 9001:2000 Certification to the Driver’s Licensing Process by Certification International Philippines, Inc., one of the national standardization bodies representing some 135 countries based in Switzerland,  the International Organization for Standardization or ISO.

The transportation secretary said the ISO theme, "Good governance through service excellence," was an eloquent manifestation of the LTO’s resolve to be a staunch partner in the Arroyo administration’s anti-corruption drive.

The adoption of the ISO 9001:2000, or Quality Management System standard, has also helped increase efficiency and customer satisfaction for millions of drivers’ license applicants.

"Now these (LTO) applicants no longer crowd the counters but they benefit from an orderly queuing system in place and a faster turnaround processing time for drivers’ licenses and clearances," said Mendoza.

He also reminded LTO officials and personnel to try to assess all the activities they do in the areas of registration of motor vehicles, licensing of drivers and conductors, in traffic law enforcement as well as in the adjudication of traffic cases.

Mendoza said that the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC)  is behind the LTO in its quest for excellence.

Meanwhile, in another interview with reporters, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) chairperson Elena Bautista said that expect to come out with a resolution by May 4 on the jeepney sector’s petition for a P2.50 increase in the minimum fare, which would raise the fare to P8.

"We are working overtime for it. We have already  received all petition papers," said Bautista.