Suspended LTFRB chief reinstated

THE Office of the President has lifted the suspension order slapped on Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III after alleged corruption charges leveled against him by a former staff member were withdrawn.

The Office of Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, in a statement, said that after “Jefferson Gallos Tumbado, who appears to be the sole witness in his case, executed an Affidavit of Recantation withdrawing his statements and allegations against him… there stands no reason t o place Chairperson Guadiz under preventive suspension.”

It added that unless there are supervening events maintaining the same accusations against Guadiz are put forth before the OP, there is no more reason for the suspension.

Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, in a memorandum dated November 3, reinstated Guadiz as LTFRB chairman and repealed Special Order 2023-353 designating LTFRB board Director Mercy Leynes as OIC.

Guadiz will return to his post today, November 6.

In a press conference weeks back, Tumbado, a former assistant of Guadiz, had claimed there were massive corruption activities in the LTFRB that had even reached Malacanang.

Within the same day of the press conference, President Marcos Jr. suspended Guadiz.

Tumbado claimed that some of the alleged irregularities in the agency included the “ruta for sale,” “special permit for sale,” “modification of route,” and a request for a franchise renewal could fetch as much as P5 million.

He said specific details of the alleged corruption would be included in a case set to be filed before the Ombudsman. The charges were supposed to be in violation of the Graft and Corruption Practices Act and the Ease of Doing Business law.

Tumbado, however, retracted his allegations after a few days and issued a two-page notarized affidavit claiming that his allegations were “borne out of impulse, irrational thinking, misjudgment, (and) poor decision making.”

He said he was also encouraged by some individuals to make the statement, which added to his confusion and affected his judgment.