By Alexandria Dennise San Juan
The chief of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) maintained that the termination of its Bicol regional director due to alleged corrupt practices is anchored on factual bases.
LTFRB Chairman Martin Delgra III earlier said that he will “never tolerate corruption under this administration” as he sacked LTFRB Bicol Regional Director Jun Abrazaldo the other week.
Delgra personally served the order against Abrazaldo, and installed Ret. Col. Vladimir Kahulugan as the new regional director.
Kahulugan’s assumption in his new post sparked tension among opposing and favor Bicol-based transport groups as Abrazaldo said that his replacement is a form of “harassment.”
In a statement on Thursday, Delgra said that Abrazaldo was relieved of his post after investigating three reports presented by the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) to the LTFRB in August and December of 2017 and in February, 2018.
Apart from the intel reports, Delgra said that other complaints were also filed before the LTFRB main office against Abrazaldo.
“Walang personalan, trabaho lang. Naghuhumiyaw na ang mga reklamo hindi pa ba natin aaksyunan? (We are not taking this personally, it’s just our job. Complaints are mounting, are we not going to act?),” Delgra said.
The LTFRB chairman said that his “iron fist” would irk Abrazaldo and all other officials who are involved in corruption, but added that he is ready to face them and all possible “made up stories aimed at pressuring the agency from doing what is right.”
“We will not give in,” he said.
For his part, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said he would maintain a “one strike policy” against corrupt officials to make sure that “rotten tomatoes do not mix with employees who uphold honest and transparent governance.”