New LTO site feared to be deficient

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Transportation and Communications was warned of possible deficiencies in the new transfer site of the Land Transportation Office’s Camp Aguinaldo district office to a private compound in Cubao.

Eric Tenerife, a consultant in the House of Representatives, in a letter to DOTC Legal Office director Raquel Desiderio dated Jan. 8, said that the Delta Motors Sales Corp. compound located at Mirasol street, Cubao may be an insufficient transfer site since it was already housing the LTO’s National Capital Region office. Tenerife said that aside from the LTO-NCR, the compound was also occupied by Delta Motors for its car repair shop and administrative office.

Tenerife urged Desiderio to review the 10-year usufruct agreement signed by LTO-NCR director Camilo Guarin and Narciso de la Merced, Delta Motors general manager, wherein transferring the LTO Camp Aguinaldo district office was assured of 570 square meters of office space and 180 square meters of open parking space.

“The parking space offered to LTO-NCR is the same parking space offered to LTO Aguinaldo,” Tenerife warned. He pointed out that while the agreement provided that LTO-NCR will use the Delta Motors offered office space for the exclusive use of the LTO Aguinaldo district office, this was physically impossible due to the presence of the LTO-NCR and Delta Motors car repair shop.

“But in reality, the actual use of the said offered property is different. Delta Motors is using a significant part of the property for its personal business- car repair shop and administrative office,” Tenerife said.   – Rainier Allan Ronda