New LTO chief Tugade vows to stamp out corruption using technology

Land Transportation Office (LTO) chief Jose Arturo Tugade said he is determined to put an end to corrupt practices in the controversial agency.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said in a Nov. 16, 2022 press statement that Tugade, who was appointed to his new post the day before, plans to use technology to counter corruption in the processing of the documents like motor vehicle registration and driver’s license applications.

Tugade added that he will fire LTO personnel who “continuously erode the public’s confidence in the agency.”

“Through the power of digitalization as envisioned by Assistant Secretary Guadiz, we believe that the days of corruption in this Agency are numbered,” he said in a speech during the turnover ceremony at the LTO Central Office in Quezon City.

“I shall continue to tread the path laid down by Assistant Secretary Guadiz for a fully digitalized, transparent and corrupt-free LTO of the future,” Tugade added.

The new LTO chief replaces LTO officer-in-charge Teofilo Guadiz III, who was made assistant secretary of the DOTr’s Road Sector.

“I pass on the dream of an LTO that takes care of its employees, an IT system that is responsive to the needs of the public and someday, we can say to everyone that I am an LTO employee free from corruption,” Guadiz said.

The outgoing LTO head specifically mentioned an IT system run solely by LTO IT experts for better transparency and more efficient vehicle and driver’s license registration systems where clients can conduct all business online.

No deaths on Philippine roads

Meanwhile, Tugade said he will intensify the LTO’s campaign to improve road safety, with the target of having zero deaths in road crashes.

“We need roads that are safe not only for motorists, but also for pedestrians and the general public, especially our children,” he said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) 2018 Global Status Report on Road Safety found that road crashes killed 1.35 million people worldwide in 2016, with an estimated 12,690 deaths coming from the Philippines.

The WHO also found that road crashes are the top killer of people aged 5 to 29, beating out tuberculosis and HIV and AIDS. 

Meanwhile, data from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority’s Metro Manila Accident Reporting and Analysis System (MMARAS) found that 58,447 road crashes occurred in Metro Manila in 2021, of which 385 were fatal.

This converts to around 160 crashes and one death every day.

Specter of PMVIC lurking?

LTO chief Tugade is the son of lawyer and businessman Arthur Tugade, who served as DOTr secretary during the Duterte administration. 

The LTO has been under fire in recent years for various controversies, including the botched implementation of the mandatory Private Motor Vehicle Inspection Center (PMVIC) scheme that was rolled out under former DOTr chief Tugade’s time.

Designed to replace simple emission testing as a prerequisite for vehicle registration, the PMVICs emulated international vehicle testing centers by inspecting parameters like tire wear and braking action.

However, these were later made optional following allegations of high costs, faulty equipment, and poor testing standards.

The LTO has also taken flak for the slow production of new license plates, which also includes replacing the license plates of all older vehicles. 

Do you think the new LTO chief can succeed in what many of his predecessors have failed to do?