Cagayan Valley LTO head probed on ‘quota’ system

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya — The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has ordered an investigation into the alleged monthly "quota" which the Cagayan Valley director of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) has been imposing on some of the agency’s district offices in the region.

This developed as Antonio de Guzman, acting LTO regional legal officer, said Romeo Maglanque, Cagayan Valley LTO director, has directed them to answer the allegations against him only in a proper forum and "not through the media."

"We deny all the allegations against him. But we were instructed to answer them in a proper forum and not through the media," De Guzman said in a phone interview.

Earlier, DOTC spokesman Thompson Lantion said the complaint against Maglanque for allegedly collecting P5,000 to P20,000 from his district officers has been referred to the LTO central office for proper investigation.

"In fairness to both the complainants and the subject of the complaint, the secretary has already ordered an investigation," he said.

The LTO, headed by Assistant Secretary Anneli Lontoc, is under the operational and administrative supervision of the DOTC.

Maglanque was assigned to Cagayan Valley last March, replacing Moises Almuete who, in turn, took over his post as Central Luzon director.

In their affidavits, four LTO officers claimed that Maglanque has asked them to be provided with a monthly quota of P5,000 to P20,000.

The four — Melinda Magpali, Darie Grace Aquino and Marina de Jesus, all supervising transportation regulation officers; and Florentino de la Cruz, public utility regulation officer — said they gave in to Maglanque’s demand for fear of losing their positions.

"Because of fear of the possible repercussion of being reshuffled… I gave him the amount of P5,000 in the months of April and May 2005," De Jesus, LTO officer of the Aparri (Cagayan) district office, said in her two-page affidavit dated Sept. 19, a copy of which was obtained by The STAR.

De Jesus further claimed that Maglanque later "demanded" that she increase the amount to P10,000 or even P20,000.

"(He) told me that some district officers (have) already increased the amount they have been giving to him to at least P20,000 a month," she added.

Aquino echoed the same allegations, saying he has been giving P5,000 to Maglanque since April this year and another P3,000 to his "bodyguards."

"Fearing the repercussions if I would not heed the whimsical insinuation of the regional director… I tried to go with (his) whims and caprices… even utilizing my personal money," said Aquino, LTO officer of the Tuguegarao (Cagayan) district office.

Magpali corroborated De Jesus and Aquino’s accusations in a Sept. 15 letter to Lontoc.

De la Cruz, who is based at the Tuguegarao City regional office, also aired the same accusations against Maglanque in his affidavit.