Jefferson G. Tumbado, the former executive assistant of suspended Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III, declared he has no personal knowledge on the alleged corrupt activities of officials and personnel of the agency.

Tumbado's declaration was contained in an affidavit submitted to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Thursday, Oct. 19.

“Tulad ng ibang ahensiya ng gobyerno, naniniwala akong hindi ligtas ang LTFRB sa bahid ng katiwalian na ito’y akin na ring ipinanawagan na masiyasat ng mga kinauukulan (Like other government agencies, I believe the LTFRB is not spared from the smear of corruption which I have also sought to be looked into by authorities),” he said in his affidavit. 

“Ngunit ang mga ito ay isinusumbong lamang din sa akin at wala akong direktang kaalaman o kumpirmasyon dahil hindi bahagi ng aking trabaho ang mag-imbestiga sa mga alegasyon (However, I only receive complaints about them and I have no direct knowledge or confirmation about these since it is not part of my duty to investigate these allegations),” he pointed out.

He also said that he had advised those with complaints of corruption to inform Guadiz or the concerned departments about the allegations.

“Sa abot ng aking kaalaman, hindi umaakyat sa DOTr at sa Malakanyang ang sinasabing irregularidad (As far as I know, the irregularities did reach the Department of Transportation and Malacanang),”  he also said. 

Last Oct. 9, Manibela transport group chairman Mar Valbuena held a press conference and presented Tumbado as a "whistleblower" in the alleged corrupt activities taking place in the LTFRB involving Guadiz and Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Jaime J. Bautista.

President Marcos suspended Guadiz as  result of the alleged corruption. Bautista and Guadiz have denied the allegations. Bautista even filed cyber libel against Valbuena and a journalist before the Department of Justice (DOJ).

However, last Wednesday, Oct. 11, Tumbado issued an affidavit of recantation over the accusations he made against Guadiz and Bautista.

In his affidavit of recantation, Tumbado said it was issued as “a form of public apology in favor of Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III, Secretary Jaime Bautista of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and to the Office of the President….”

“Whetever allegations may have been said during the press conference on October 9, 2023 where the public declaration was made were all unintentional and misguided” and that “the things said were borne out of impulse, irrational thinking, misjudgment, poor decision making and was encouraged by some individuals to make the statement which may have added to my confusion and affected my better judgment,” he said.

But he said: “I still stand by the issue that there is indeed problem in the agency concerned that requires immediate investigation by authorities and those responsible be held accountable.”

In his affidavit submitted to the NBI, Tumbado said: “Pagod na pagod na rin po ako at nababahala po ako sa aking kaligtasan at ng aking pamilya (I am tired and concerned about my safety as well as that of my family)."

Aside from the affidavit, he submitted a letter addressed to NBI Anti-Graft Division (NBI-AGD) Chief Olga Angustia-Gonzales.

He told the NBI official in his letter that “I have nothing more to say about the matter” and asked that he “be excused from attending any scheduled hearings that you may conduct in the future.”