ILOILO City – Misunderstanding was the reason, according to Land Transportation Office (LTO) Region 6 director Eric Lenard Tabaldo, why none from their office attended the public hearing called by the city council to tackle the controversial new system in vehicle registration.
“Nagapangayo ako pasaylo sang natabo. There was a sort of misunderstanding,” he said.
Councilor Romel Duron, who chairs the Sangguniang Panlungsod’s (SP) committee on transportation, energy and public utilities, earlier lambasted the absence of LTO-6 officials.
He proposed a resolution declaring LTO-6 officials “persona non grata” should they fail to attend the next hearing.
Thursday last week, Duron said LTO-6 assistant director Arturo Apolinar confirmed his attendance to the SP hearing scheduled around 2 p.m.
It was, however, too late when the councilor received communication from Apolinar that he was not allowed to attend public hearings.
Apolinar, according to Duron, cited Tabaldo’s office order dated Feb. 4 designating Atty. Allan Sacramento, LTO-6 operation division acting chief, “to act as official representative on matters pertaining to the general operations of the regional office.”
Sacramento was directed to hold and/or accept requests for radio and television interviews to clarify any and all issues pertaining to present and upcoming LTO programs. But he, too, failed to attend the hearing.
“It is correct nga may memo kami kay Atty. Sacramento, but knowing nga kulang pa ang iya eksperiensya with regards to the PMVIC (private motor vehicle inspection center), I requested Atty. (Gaudioso) Geduspan to represent the office,” the LTO director said.
Geduspan is LTO-6’s assistant director.
“There was a misunderstanding,” Tabaldo continued. “They thought all along nga si Atty. Sacramento nagkadto na didto. But it turned out nga wala gali, and Atty. (Geduspan) inspected another site nga ginapatigayon namon subong.”
“So ako mismo as regional director nagapangayo pasaylo sa city council kag indi na gid ini maliwat,” he added.
The LTO-6 executive also denied there was an internal problem within their office specifically among him, Geduspan and Sacramento that could be the reason for their “no-show” at the SP hearing. He said he is taking full responsibility for what had happened.
The schedule for the next SP hearing is yet to be announced.
To recall, the SP summoned the transport officials to discuss the impending implementation of its Memorandum Circular No. 2018-2158 that requires all vehicles to undergo and pass inspection in accredited motor vehicle inspection centers prior to registration.
Various groups, transport associations and local leaders were up in arms against the new directive.
Citing the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, legislative bodies here, in Iloilo province and Roxas City earlier adopted resolutions asking the LTO to reconsider its plan.
Reacting to these apprehensions, Tabaldo recently insisted the public needed to see the “reasonableness of the inspections,” claiming that this would even help lessen untoward incidents from road crashes.
Come May this year, LTO officials, Tabaldo said in an earlier interview, will start enforcing the memorandum.
Under LTO’s new motor vehicle registration system, not less than 60 parts of the vehicle must pass the inspection./PN
