CHR endorses motorists’ complaint vs LTO officials

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines  â€“ The Commission on Human Rights in Negros Oriental has endorsed to the Land Transportation Office (LTO) central office a petition filed by transport groups in this city and nearby towns calling for an investigation on the alleged abusive practices of the LTO-Dumaguete District Office chief and at least 12 others.

CHR special investigator Jess Cañete said that, based on the narratives of the complainants in a petition addressed to his office, it appeared that the complaints against LTO-Dumaguete chief Eugene Gador, Law Enforcement Traffic Adjudication Services (LETAS)-designate clerk Primo Duran III were valid even if they were still unverified.

The complaint, along with a petition for the relief of the respondents from their respective posts, stemmed from a complaint dated April 10, 2013, submitted to the CHR by a certain Igmedio Duran of Capitol Area in this city.

Duran has asked Cañete to investigate the alleged money-making schemes of Gador’s men through erroneous implementation of traffic laws including the helmet law.

Cañete said Duran had sent him via postal mail the petition, with several pages of about 136 signatures as attachment, calling for an investigation of the alleged corruption as well as “erroneous implementation of traffic laws” by the respondents.

Duran, in his letter to the CHR, said the alleged abuses and corruption by the LTO-Dumaguete personnel were violations of human rights, and Cañete said some of those mentioned were arrogance, discourtesy, and flawed processes in the enforcement of the helmet law.

The CHR official explained that since it is impossible to verify the complaints with the large number of petitioners, he decided to forward copies of the petition to the LTO central office, specifically to Assistant Secretary Virginia Torres, the Office of the Ombudsman and the National Bureau of Investigation.

Cañete said the complaints may be valid because he was also a “victim” himself of arrogance and unbecoming behavior allegedly by some LTO-Dumaguete personnel during the conduct of a checkpoint.

Gador could not be reached for comment because he was yet on an official business in Cebu, while Arbon was busy the whole day conducting a lecture on apprehended motorists. (FREEMAN)