CEBU CITY -- A group of motorcycle dealers denied the accusations made by the chief of the Land Transportation Office-Central Visayas (LTO-7) they are allegedly the reason behind the delays in the release of motorcycle Official Receipts (ORs) and Certificates of Registration (CRs).
The group on Tuesday, May 24, issued the statement after LTO 7 regional director Victor Caindec blamed the dealers why the LTO apprehended hundreds of motorcycles for lack of registration documents.
The LTO Region 7 conducted a five-day operation in Bohol.
Lawyer Gilbert Andrews, the group’s spokesperson, said that it should be Caindec who should be blamed for the delays and not the dealers.
“RD Caindec should pin the blame squarely on himself for his repeated failure to release motorcycle ORs/CRs within the ‘3 hours, 15 minutes’ time frame as mandated by the amended 2019 LTO Citizen’s Charter,” said Andres in a statement.
Andres stressed that the amended 2019 LTO Citizen’s Charter states that the total processing time from the moment an LTO client submits requirements until he or she receives his OR, CR, sticker, plates and RFID sticker is merely ‘3 hours, 15 minutes.’
Andres said that LTO-7 has failed to do this in numerous instances.
“In fact, the Anti-Red Tape Authority recommended for his preventive suspension and filed a complaint against him with the Ombudsman for violation of Section 21, paragraphs (a) & (b), and 75 counts of violation of paragraph (e) of Republic Act No. 11032 or the ‘Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018,” said Andres.
ARTA has also previously recommended that said case against Caindec be referred to the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission for immediate conduct of investigation for possible violation of Republic Act No. 3019 or the ‘Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act,’ and any other laws, rules, and regulations, as may be applicable, the group said.
Andres cited additional facts that further reveal that Caindec should blame himself for the unjustified delays in the release of ORs/CRs.
First, there is only one New Registration Unit for the entire Region 7. All documents from the thousands of sold cars and motorcycles from Cebu and its neighboring islands of Negros Oriental, Siquijor, and Bohol have to be sent to Cebu for registration.
“The solution would be to open more new registration units not just in Cebu but in the outlying islands of Region 7,” Andres pointed out.
Second, there is only one computer shared among multiple dealers to access the DIY (do it yourself) registration system in Region 7 while other regions have as many as 15.
“Because motorcycle and car dealers have to take turns accessing this computer, motorcycle dealers are constrained to process registrations in other regions. This schedule would even be often canceled when the LTO system is “offline” or when their internet connection is slow,” explained Andres.
Third, Andres said that Caindec’s statement that dealers delay the payments for the registrations is not true.
He said that there is only one cashier in the LTO Regional Office who handles payment in the new registration unit and the submitted documents have to be ‘evaluated by LTO personne’ prior to payment. Thus, dealers have to wait for the cashier to inform them that payment may now be made.
Fourth, Caindec has designated only one release center for plate numbers for the entire Region 7 which Andres said Caindec cannot expect all motorcycle riders from the surrounding islands to claim the plate numbers in SM Seaside Cebu. Motorcycle dealers have not also received any formal communication on the Memorandum of Understanding that he has allegedly required dealers to sign.