Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 19) — Former Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) executive assistant Jeffrey Tumbado went to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Thursday to submit his sworn statement amid the alleged corruption in the agency.
\”Kami po ngayon ay nag-submit ng sinumpaang salaysay na naayon po sa imbestigasyon na ginagawa ng NBI at ‘yun lang po ang nangyari,\” said Tumbado’s lawyer Bernardo Masangkay in a chance interview with reporters.
[Translation: We submitted today a sworn statement based on the investigation by the NBI and that’s what only happened.]
\”At merong kaunting katanungan, clarificatory question ng NBI, at nasagot naman lahat ng witness ‘yung mga tinatanong ng NBI,\” the lawyer added.
[Translation: There were also a few questions, clarificatory question from the NBI, and the witness was able to answer them.]
The NBI earlier issued a subpoena to Tumbado following his allegations of bribery in the LTFRB involving suspended chief Teofilo Guadiz III and Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista.
But he failed to appear before the NBI on Oct. 16, saying he had to take care of something.
Tumbado eventually recanted his allegations and apologized to Guadiz and Bautista. Yet, he maintained that anomalies exist within the LTFRB.
In his client’s sworn statement, Masangkay said that transport operators allegedly bribe LTFRB employees for the fast processing of their franchise application.
\”For example, mayroon mga franchise na inaaplyan, minsan hindi nabibigyan agad ng priority. Kaya itong mga aplikante sila mismo ang allegedly nagsusuhol sa mga tauhan ng LTFRB,\” said Masangkay.
[Translation: For example, there are applications for franchises that are not being prioritized sometimes. That’s why some applicants allegedly bribe employees of the LTFRB.]
