Guadiz thankful his name was cleared of corruption allegations in LTFRB
Lawyer Teofilo Guadiz III said he felt relieved that he was finally cleared of the corruption allegations raised against him that caused his suspension as the chairman of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).
After the hearing at the House of Representatives, Guadiz said he was surprised when his name was dragged into the alleged corruption relating to the franchise approval especially for modern jeepneys.
“I have been protecting my name for 23 years and I am thankful that it has finally been cleared,” said Guadiz.
Guadiz was accused of his former aide, Jeffrey Tumbado, of corruption during a press conference held by a transport group on Oct. 9. In the same presscon, Tumbado also linked Department of Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista and the Office of the President.
A few days later, Tumbado recanted his statement and apologized to Guadiz and Bautista.
In a hearing of the House Committee on Transportation on Monday, Oct. 24, Tumbado was cited in contempt and was ordered detained for 10 days for his failure to substantiate his allegations when asked by congressmen.
Some of the congressmen got irked when he could not obtain definite answers as to the basis of both the allegations and the recantation of Tumbado.
Sagip Party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta for instance tagged Tumbado's behavior during the inquiry as "disrespectful," stressing to him that the hearing "is not a joke."
"I believe the answers supplied by Mr. Tumbado to us for every question asked by each member did not bring any consolation, did not bring any enlightenment on the part of the members of this committee. After each and every question, Mr. Chair, there has not been any basis for us to believe any of his statements and answers or replies to every question," Marcoleta said.
"I hope we are able to get something from him but we fail to do that," he added.
Following the recantation made by Tumbado, seven major transport groups called on President Marcos to reinstate Guadiz in the LTFRB.