The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has suspended one of its employees in Samar following allegations of her involvement in the illegal transfer of motor vehicle ownership.
LTO Chief, Assistant Secretary Atty. Vigor D. Mendoza II, issued a 90-day preventive suspension order against a female employee whose name was withheld, a supervising transportation regulation officer, who allegedly processed a spurious transaction involving the ownership of a sedan.
The case stemmed from a complaint filed in January by a female vehicle owner who claimed her car was illegally transferred without her knowledge.
She initially brought the case to the Office of the Ombudsman, which referred it to the LTO for investigation.
According to Asec Mendoza, the employee’s position could potentially allow her to influence witnesses or tamper with evidence, justifying the preventive suspension pending formal investigation.
“Considering that your position affords you the opportunity to exert undue influence or pressure on potential witnesses and tamper with evidence, you are hereby placed under Preventive Suspension for a period of ninety (90) days,” the suspension order stated.
Documents submitted by the complainant reportedly supported the claim that the transaction facilitated at the LTO Catbalogan office was fraudulent.
“The case is now under investigation, and we assure the public that this will be thoroughly looked into. We will not tolerate any form of illegal activity within the agency,” Mendoza said.
He added that while the LTO continues to implement reforms to uplift the morale of its employees—including efforts to regularize contractual workers—the agency will remain firm against those who abuse their positions.
In the past two years, the LTO has penalized several employees found guilty of misconduct, particularly those involved in schemes with fixers, as part of its ongoing efforts to clean up the agency.
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