LTO suspends Zambo employee for illegal drug use

ZAMBOANGA CITY -- The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has indefinitely suspended one of its personnel here who was arrested for illegal drugs.

LTO-9 director Aminola Abaton said effective Monday, Abdulrauf Mutin has been placed under indefinite suspension “prior to the filing of an administrative proceeding for his eventual dismissal” from the government service.

“There is a process we need to observe. But in so far as LTO is concerned, it is clear that under the leadership of Asec. (Assistant Secretary Edgar) Galvante, in no way that we will tolerate at any given time any of our personnel to be involved in any irregularity,” Abaton said Tuesday.

Police arrested Mutin together with Saudie Hairul, 42; and Gairel Tacurian, 38, in an anti-drug operation on November 22 in one of the hotels here.

Mutin is the LTO operations officer assigned at the agency's Zamboanga Economic Zone and Freeport (Zamboecozone) office.

Capt. Edwin Duco, Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) information officer, earlier said the arresting team seized from Tacurian some PHP1,500 worth of suspected shabu packed in two heat-sealed plastic sachets and PHP200 marked money.

Duco said Mutin and Hairul were caught having a pot session and yielded illegal drug paraphernalia during the raid.

Abaton said he was informed that Mutin had personal problems “but for me, that is not an excuse” for him to be involved in the use of illegal drugs.

Abaton said the policy of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) leadership, “particularly the LTO is very clear that we will not condone or tolerate” any of the personnel to be involved in corruption and illegal drugs.

“When Asec. Galvante assumed office, the first directive he issued is to conduct random drug testing to all employees in the regional offices, and we did that,” he said.

However, he admitted that they are not always in control over the personal activities of their personnel, citing that “even among siblings, there is always a black sheep.”

“These are realities that we are dismayed with, we are disappointed, but again we have a system in place to address this kind of problem,” he said. (PNA)