PROBE. Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla says the National Bureau of Investigation is empowered to conduct motu propio investigations of misfeasance in government, during a press briefing on Thursday (Oct. 12, 2023). The NBI has initiated an inquiry into the allegations made by Jefferson Tumbado, the former executive assistant of Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) chairman Teofilo Guadiz III, who accused his boss of corruption. (PNA photo by Ben Pulta)
MANILA – Justice Secretary Jesus Remulla on Thursday said the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has initiated an inquiry into the allegations made by Jefferson Tumbado, the former executive assistant of Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) chairman Teofilo Guadiz III, who accused his boss of corruption.
"That is part of the motu propio powers of the NBI and we have reminded them to investigate this," Remulla told reporters in a press briefing.
In a press conference last Monday, Tumbado alleged that money regularly changed hands at the LTFRB in exchange for the issuance of permits for transport routes and franchises.
He has since changed his mind and, in a sworn affidavit, later claimed his declarations had been "unintentional and misguided."
In his sworn statement, Tumbado apologized to Guadiz, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista and the Office of the President, and said "things were just said out of impulse and irrational thinking, misjudgment and poor decision-making."
The NBI Anti-Graft Division nevertheless issued a subpoena for Tumbado despite the latter's recantation. (PNA)
