THE Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas has ordered Land Transportation Office in Central Visayas (LTO 7) Director Victor Emmanuel Caindec and a private physician to answer the falsification and graft charges filed against them for the alleged issuance of fake medical certificates to student drivers so that they can secure a driver’s permit.
In a two-page order issued on Jan. 16, 2023, Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Dante Vargas ordered Caindec and a female private doctor to submit their counter-affidavits to answer the allegations raised against them by complainant Doloreich Dumaluan.
“Failure to comply as herein directed within the period prescribed by the rules shall be deemed a waiver of the right to present the party’s counter-affidavit or reply-affidavit and the investigation shall proceed according to existing rules,” the order added.
SunStar Cebu tried to get Caindec’s comment on the matter, but he said that he won’t issue a statement until he receives a copy of the order.
SunStar also withheld the name of the private doctor pending her comment.
Dumaluan, the former mayor of Panglao town in Bohol, sued Caindec and the private physician for graft and corruption and falsification of public documents before the anti-graft office in September last year.
Dumaluan claimed that Caindec and the private physician conspired in the issuance of fake medical certificates which were used as a requirement for the issuance of student driver’s permits.
Dumaluan alleged that applicants were asked to pay P700 and were issued receipts that were not registered with the Bureau of Internal Revenue, a violation of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997.
In his complaint, Dumaluan claimed that the LTO 7 initiated several e-Patrol Mobile Services in Bohol between March to April 2022, in which many applicants for student driver’s permit were given medical certificates supposedly issued by the physician using a business entity based in Lapu-Lapu City.
According to the complaint, the LTO 7 allegedly made it appear that the physician conducted the medical examinations during the e-Patrol Mobile Services activities, even though the physician never personally examined the applicants and was never physically present to issue the medical certificates.
One of Dumaluan’s attached evidences was a copy of a medical certificate issued to one applicant, along with the receipt acknowledging the payment of P700 for medical certification, and the issued student driver’s permit.
Another applicant also executed an affidavit confirming that no actual medical examination was made on them and that they were simply given medical certificates after showing their proof of payment.