‘Baseless and absurd’: LTO chief unfazed by cases filed before OMB

Land Transportation Office (LTO) chief Assistant Secretary Vigor D. Mendoza II has welcomed the cases lodged against him before the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB).

Recently, the transportation group Federated Land Transport Organizations of the Philippines (FELTOP) filed a complaint with the OMB against Mendoza, accusing him of corruption through the agency's digitalization of its processes.

In a statement, he described the cases filed against him as “baseless and absurd.”

“I respect and welcome the filing of these two cases because this will be a good opportunity and a proper forum on my part to prove that the allegations are totally baseless and absurd—and eventually expose the real motive behind this action,” Mendoza said on Thursday, Nov. 30.

Regarding digitalization, the LTO chief said they have “successfully consolidated all the online transactions using the LTMS, which means the transactions now are more convenient and hassle-free for all our clients.”

Mendoza noted that such was done in just four months after he assumed office.

In addition, he said the LTO is on the "right track" of addressing the millions of backlogs in the license plates, noting that the agency is now producing one million metal plates a month.

“Nevertheless, we are in a democratic country where anyone could file a case against anybody. Proving the allegation before any court of law, however, is another matter,” he stated.