DOTC exec assumes post as LTO OIC

MANILA, Philippines -  Transportation Assistant Secretary Raquel Desiderio will assume as officer-in-charge of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) today.

LTO chief Virginia Torres will go on a leave of absence.

Dante Velasco, undersecretary in charge of the Road Transport Sector, said Desiderio will serve as LTO OIC for the duration of Torres’s leave.

Transportation and Communications Secretary Jose de Jesus last Friday afternoon said that he had already told Torres to go on a leave of absence.

Velasco told The STAR they welcome the decision of President Aquino to have Torres go on leave.

“We believe that this would enable us to implement really needed reforms at the LTO,” he said.

“We praise Asec. Torres for accepting the decision of the President on the matter.”

The Department of Justice (DOJ) had investigated a complaint against Torres and her head executive assistant, Menelia Mortel.

Stradcom Corp., LTO’s computerization contractor, had accused Torres and Mortel of conspiracy in the failed takeover of their central operations center inside the LTO central office along East Avenue in Quezon City last December.

The DOJ recommended the filing of administrative charges of grave misconduct and gross negligence against Torres and Mortel.

Finding Torres and Mortel liable for conspiracy, the DOJ recommended that the two go on leave, or be meted a preventive suspension.

Based on the DOJ ruling, the DOTC immediately ordered Mortel to go on leave but left the fate of Torres to Malacañang.

Torres and Mortel were named as respondents in an administrative complaint by Stradcom Corp. for their alleged conspiracy with the group of businessmen Aderito Yujuico and Bonifacio Sumbilla.