MANILA -- The Department of Transportation (DOTr) continues to weed out corrupt officials and personnel among its ranks.
DOTr Undersecretary for Legal Affairs and Procurement Reinier Paul Yebra issued Tuesday a 90-day preventive suspension order against Atty. Mary Jil Caurel, Hearing Officer IV of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board Regional Office No. V, pending investigation for grave misconduct and other administrative offenses.
Caurel is being investigated for allegedly accepting money in exchange for facilitating the processing of application for Certificate of Public Convenience (CPC). She is also accused of deliberately delaying the release of CPCs and engaging in extortion activities for the release of impounded vehicles.
She is also being charged with gross and inexcusable delay of franchise applications for almost one to two years. She is also facing serious dishonesty charges for falsification of entries in her daily time records since 2016.
Victor Torrefiel, Administrative Aide VI of the Maritime Industry Authority was also placed under a 90-day preventive suspension for grave misconduct and dishonesty after he alleged several irregularities in the canvass of price quotation/s from non-existing suppliers for the procurement of goods and vehicle services. He is facing falsification of official documents charges and being investigated for accumulation of unexplained wealth. A show cause order dated Apr. 5, 2018 has already been issued to him.
Meanwhile, a 60-day suspension order was imposed Wednesday against Engr. Jose Budiongan, Area Manager for Area Center X of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, for grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.
Budiongan allegedly extorted a PHP5,000 monthly allowance from Skycap porters in Laguindingan airport.
He is also facing malversation of public funds or property charges when he undertook the anomalous repainting of runway and road signs. He also allegedly failed to maintain government property under his custody, taking a firetruck intended for use of Pagadian airport to Lagundingan, and operating a "pasalubong" (gift) center inside the airport.
The suspensions came following the decision of DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade who has recently relieved the employees and personnel assigned at a branch of the Land Transportation Office in Nueva Vizcaya after reports of extortion activities while conducting law enforcement operations surfaced.
The complaints on alleged corrupt practices from rice traders and truckers have reached President Rodrigo R. Duterte during a meeting with rice industry stakeholders in Malacanang.
Tugade said he would continue to go after corrupt employees and would make sure they would face the full force of the law. (PNA)
