Metro Manila, Philippines – The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered a six-month preventive suspension against two transportation officials over their supposed roles in more than ₱13 billion in computer fees supposedly passed on to the public but flagged by the Commission on Audit.
In a press briefing on Tuesday, Aug. 18, Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said there were sufficient grounds to suspend Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) chief Vigor Mendoza and Office of Transportation Cooperatives chief Teofilo Guadiz, citing strong evidence on administrative charges for grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of service.
He said the case stemmed from the previous roles of Mendoza and Guadiz as former heads of the Land Transportation Office (LTO), in particular the continued use of the STRADCOM-operated LTO information technology system despite the implementation and acceptance of its replacement.
Clavano said the original 10-year agreement with STRADCOM expired in February 2013, but a 2016 phaseout agreement allowed its continued use only while the LTO had no fully operational IT system nationwide.
The office said the new land transportation management system (LTMS) was institutionalized as a platform for motor vehicle registration after project acceptance in 2021.
However, Clavano said both Guadiz and Mendoza supposedly pushed for the continued use of the STRADCOM-IT system with the LTMS. Guadiz was LTO chief in 2022, while Mendoza served from 2023 to 2025.
“According to the order, the continued parallel use of the old system resulted in the continued collection fees from the public. The Commission on Audit found that these fees amounted to more than ₱13.3 billion from 2019 to 2025, causing what it described as an additional burden and expense for the transacting public,” he said.
Clavano said the suspension was not a penalty, but was meant to preserve documents and prevent further malfeasance or misfeasance in office.
The preventive suspension is immediately executory and comes without pay.
Opportunity to ‘clear name’
In a statement, Mendoza said while he respects the decision of the ombudsman, he maintained that his actions as LTO chief were intended to protect motorists.
“This will be a good opportunity for me to prove it, and eventually clear my name, in the proper forum,” he said.
NewsWatch Plus has reached out to Guadiz for comment.
