LTO executives oppose reversion to manual transactions

MANILA, Philippines -   Regional officials of the Land Transportation Office expressed opposition to a reported plan by LTO chief Virginia Torres to revert to manual processing of all transactions at the agency.

LTO Region 5 head Ramon Roco, a brother of the late former senator Raul Roco, said LTO offices nationwide handle around 1.2 million transactions every month, and “we are certain that this could not possibly be done if we revert to... highly prone-to-error ways of doing business at the LTO.” Roco heads the LTO Regional Directors Association.

“Manual transactions will devolve our service delivery to the old methods where there’s a prevalence of corruption within the agency as there is no reliable system to check the validity and authenticity of transactions,” he said. “This will open doors for anomaly and the re-proliferation of illegal practices in the LTO.”

He warned that without computerization, it would be harder for authorities to wage their campaign against carjacking and other crimes affecting the transport sector.

An LTO director, who asked not to be identified, alleged that Torres issued last March 25 a memorandum entitled “Contingency Plan—IT Shutdown.”

The Department of Justice has recommended that be suspended and administratively charged after she was found to have conspired in the illegal takeover of a facility operated by Stradcom Corp., the LTO’s information technology (IT) contractor, in the LTO compound by a group led by businessmen Bonifacio Sumbilla and Aderito Yuhuico last December. The failed takeover disrupted LTO operations nationwide for several hours.

The LTO has refused to release Stradcom’s share in the information technology fees paid by vehicle owners and Roco said this may be the reason for Torres’ memorandum.