LTFRB's Guadiz: Transport groups' support helped clear my name

After several public utility transport groups vouched for his integrity during a House Committee on Transportation inquiry, suspended Land Transportation, Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Chairperson Teofilo Guadiz III on Monday said he was able to clear his name of corruption allegations during a congressional inquiry.

Among the groups who came to Guadiz's defense and denied he received grease money in exchange for granting favored entities permits to ply certain routes were the Alliance of Transport Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (ALTODAP), Stop and Go Transport Coalition, Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Associations of the Philippines (FEJODAP), and Alliance of Concerned Transport Organizations (ACTO).

“Ako po’y nagpapasalamat at nalinis na rin po ang aking pangalan na matagal ko pong iniingatan ng 23 years. Finally po, nalinis na rin po, at nalinawan na po ang lahat ng issue,” said an emotional Guadiz after the seven-hour long inquiry.

(I am thankful that I was able to clear my name, which is something that I protected for 23 years. Finally, my name was cleared, and the issues were clarified.)

FEJODAP National President Jephraim Gochango said Guadiz had always treated transport groups well.

“Wala po akong kahit maliit na napansin [na katiwalian]. Maayos po ang pagtanggap sa amin ni former Chair Guadiz during hearings,” Gochango said.

(We never noticed any corruption. He was always welcoming to us.)

“Iyon pong [PUV] modernization, naaaksyunan po niya (Guadiz) ang itong mga problem at hinaing namin, wala po akong alam na corruption sa LTFRB,” ALTODAP President Melencio Vargas added.

(He promptly acts on our concerns, and we don't know of corruption in the LTFRB.)

ACTO National President Liberty de Luna agreed, saying Guadiz helped them navigate policies or memorandum circulars and would always hear them out.

“Even at 10 in the evening, he will be talking to us about our problems,” de Luna said.

Stop and Go’s National President Zaldy Ping-ay, for his part, said Guadiz was trustworthy.

“We don’t have personal knowledge of those allegations discussed today. Having said that, naniniwala po ako sa pahayag ni Chairman Guadiz na walang katiwalian sa kanyang opisina,” Ping-ay said.

(I believe Chair Guadiz when he said that his office was beyond reproach.)

Before Monday’s inquiry, his former assistant Jeff Tumbado, who had leveled the corruption allegations against Guadiz, had recanted his claims.

During Monday’s inquiry, Tumbado told lawmakers that Guadiz reached out to him after he made the allegations, and they agreed not to file charges against each other.

“Ang sabi po niya, bigyan ko po siya ng pangalawang buhay. Iyong reputasyon po niya, iyong career po niya. I did it (recant) out of humanitarian consideration po,” Tumbado said.

Amid his recantation, the House Transportation Committee cited Tumbado in contempt and ordered him detained at the Batasang Pambansa for ten days over his failure to back his allegations, including the alleged exchange of money to revive a “dead” franchise so certain groups could ply PUV routes.

Tumbado said during the hearing that he did not have personal knowledge of the corruption allegations against Guadiz and the LTFRB. He was just acting upon the reports made to him by PUV operators that their application to ply routes supposedly took time to be processed by the LTFRB without grease money.

Guadiz, however, argued that the testimonies of the transport sector groups in support of his leadership showed that he was not in the wrong.

“Nakita naman po niyo lahat ng mga miyembro ng mga jeepney organization suportado po sa programa natin, nagpapatuloy po nang walang korapsyon sa aking panahon,” Guadiz added.

(You saw how the jeepney organizations supported me, and that there is no corruption under my watch.)

“Salamat po sa Panginoon, salamat po sa mga miyembro ng Kamara, at sa kanilang masugid na imbestigasyon, lumabas din po ang katotohanan,” he added.

(Thank God, the lawmakers, for investigating. The truth came out.) — DVM, GMA Integrated News