Taxi operators up in arms against LTFRB’s Atty. Duron
Taxi cabs all over Iloilo and probably the rest of the region will be sporting yellow and black ribbons starting today in protest of a controversial official of Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board-6 (LTFRB-6).
Association of Taxi Operators in Panay (Atop) president Perfecto Yap said the protest primarily calls for the removal from office of Atty. Rommel Duron, chief of the LTFRB-6’s Technical and Evaluation Division, who is accused of mulcting money from applicants of taxi franchise.
Yap said the silent protest was finalized in a meeting yesterday attended by various taxi groups including the Alliance of Panay Taxi Operators and Drivers Associations (Aptoda).
Aside from placing yellow and black ribbons on taxi cabs, taxi drivers will also be requested to wear black arm bands, added Yap.
“We want to give speedy justice to the victims of Atty. Duron. Also, we want the LTFRB central office to take immediate action on our complaint,” Yap said in a radio interview.
To note, Atty. Duron is currently facing graft charges with the LTFRB central office filed by a certain Salvacion Sualog-Ruiz, an applicant for a taxi franchise.
Ruiz accused Atty. Duron of charging her P35,000 for a franchise to operate a taxi unit but the LTFRB’s official receipt only showed P810 as processing fee for her franchise application.
Ruiz, however, said that she actually paid only P33,000 as Duron gave her a P2,000 discount.
Ruiz in her complaint also implicated Bernie Bernabe, an employee of LTFRB-6, whom she alleged also has knowledge of the transaction.
Later, several other taxi operators also came out to hurl similar allegations against Atty. Duron.
A team from the LTFRB central office headed by Atty. Manuel Mahipos of the legal department conducted an investigation on the controversy.
But Genie Primalion, spokesperson of Aptoda, said they are dismayed with the way Atty. Mahipos and his team handled the investigation. He doubts if they can get justice from it.
Primalion added because of the gravity of accusations against Duron the LTFRB central office should immediately relieve him so that he could not influence the conduct of investigation. Primalion cited the current positions being handled by Duron which he said might affect the probe.
Earlier, a casual driver of LTFRB-6 came out to defend Atty. Duron.
Henry Mamon, who has worked with LTFRB-6 for almost ten years, claimed that a group of taxi operators including LTFRB-6 regional director Porfirio Clavel are conspiring to demolish Atty. Duron and have him removed from LTFRB-6.
A week after his revelation, Mamon was sacked by Clavel due to “conduct unbecoming, acts of dishonesty, and insubordination prejudicial to the LTFRB.”
Mamon, reportedly, is filing charges against Clavel before the Office of the Ombudsman.
Meanwhile, Atty. Duron in earlier media interviews vehemently denied the allegations against him. He pointed to Clavel as behind the hullabaloo after the latter suspected him of having involvement in the Ombudsman case filed by a transport group in Capiz against Clavel.