|
Friday, September 27, 2002
Ombud suspends LTO head Mendoza
By Karlon N. Rama
THE anti-graft office has ordered the preventive suspension of Land Transportation Office (LTO) 7 Director Porferio Mendoza. The Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas, though, has yet to begin its investigation on the charges hurled against him by three car dealers.
Deputy Ombudsman Primo Miro, in an order dated Sept. 19, ordered that Men-doza be placed under suspension for the next six months, saying he finds the evidence against the LTO 7 director “strong enough to establish guilt of grave misconduct.”
The order was apparently prepared and approved by Miro himself since nowhere in the three-page document does the signature of any graft investigator appear.
The issuance of an order has brought to light the comment of former Cebu City councilor and ombudsman director Edgardo Labella that Miro and his directors should refrain from personally handling complaints since it would render useless the office’s existing system of reviews.
“The more people involved in the resolution of a case, the better,” Labella said, adding that the anti-graft office places itself in a doubtful position the minute people involved in the review and approval of findings participate in the investigation.
Miro suspended Mendoza, as well as LTO Operation Division Chief Oscar Peque, Marilyn Mendoza, a secretary, and Catalina Alingasa, a staff member.
In an interview yesterday, Mendoza expressed surprise over the development, saying he has yet to receive a copy of the supposed complaint filed against him.
He said he heard about the complaint but was waiting for the anti-graft office to either summon or order him to submit a counter-affidavit.
“I am still waiting for it (copy of complaint) even up to now. I was very surprised when I heard that a suspension order has already been issued,” he said.
Mendoza blasted Miro for showing uncanny speed in the handling of the complaint against him, adding that he (Mendoza) filed many graft complaints against people inside the LTO, but none appeared to have moved so far.
He also alluded to reports that the deputy ombudsman is close to recently sacked LTO Lapu-Lapu City chief Cleto Abugan, who is often seen visiting Miro at the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas.
Abugan was dismissed for requesting rooms at the Waterfront Hotel in Mactan for LTO Assistant Secretary Edgardo Abenina and Transportation and Communications Secretary Pantaleon Alvarez last July 11.
The two officials, who received a faxed copy of what was to be the hotel’s approval of the request, weren’t even scheduled to be in Cebu on the date mentioned and immediately had Abugan relieved from his post.
Abugan had, at one time, vied for the LTO directorship, even securing a reported appointment from the Office of the President.
The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), however, declared it to be fake, and upheld Mendoza’s papers for the post.
Based on the complaint against them, Mendoza and his co-respondents, conniving with each other, allegedly demanded payment for issuing certificates of confirmation to vehicles that the complaining car dealers registered with the LTO regional office.
Per regulation, the certificates are to be issued for free after vehicle registrants comply with mandated fees and tariffs.
These are necessary for car dealers because they cannot sell units without the certificates.
The demanded sum, the complainants said, reached P2,500 per vehicle and was not covered by official receipts.
Ombudsman Director Virginia Santiago has ordered Mendoza and his co-respondents to submit a counter-affidavit to the charge.
In his order, Miro said he reviewed the sworn statements of Maricar Huete, Ernesto Cantillas and Leonardo Villaraso, as well as the fact-finding report of National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agent Mamerto Cortez.
He quoted Cortez as having concluded that: “there is no doubt that the aforementioned subjects did commit the alleged irregularities.”
Aside from presuming that Mendoza and his co-respondents are probably guilty of the charge, Miro justified the issuance of the preventive suspension order by pointing out that the respondents are holding positions “from which complainants and witnesses are vulnerable to their power and authority.”
He said the order is necessary to prevent them from using their authority “to intimidate or harass complainants and/or suppress evidence against them.”
This is the second time Miro preventively suspended a high-ranking official through an order that he prepared and, at the same time, approved.
Earlier, he preventively suspended Cebu Port Authority (CPA) Commissioner Tomas Riveral for probable conflict of interest.
Riveral, while an officer of CPA, is also a major stockholder of the Oriental Port and Allied Services Corp. (Opascor), a cargo-handling firm doing business with CPA.
Riveral has sought a reconsideration of the suspension, adding that Miro should first seek approval from the ombudsman, considering that fact that he (Riveral) is a high-ranking official.
The propriety of Miro’s issuance of preventive suspension orders without this being recommended by the graft investigator actually handling the case has also been questioned.
|
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
SUPERBALITA
WEEKEND
|
