Ombudsman Remulla urges LTO to stop using Stradcom services

Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla on Saturday urged the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to stop using the services of IT provider Stradcom Corp.

"Ang pakiusap ko lang, itigil na nila 'yang kalokohan na Stradcom. Itigil na nila," Remulla said on his radio program.

(I am simply asking them to stop this nonsense involving Stradcom. They should put an end to it.)

Instead, Remulla urged the agency to focus on improving the government-owned Land Transportation Management System (LTMS).

"Ayusin natin 'yung ating Land Transportation [Management] System. 'Wag na puro computer fee ang kukunin mo, tapos ang gulo. Maraming multiple license, ang daming peke. Sinasadya nila 'yung butas para may palusot. Tama na iyon, itigil na iyon," he said.

(Let's fix our Land Transportation Management System. Don't just collect computer fees while creating confusion. There are multiple licenses and many fake ones. They deliberately leave loopholes to create excuses. That's enough; it should stop.)

Remulla said he had already discussed the issue with LTO chief and Assistant Secretary Markus Lacanilao.

"Kinausap ko pa si Lacanilao. Sabi ko, tigilan na 'yan, tama na 'yan. Kumita na 'yan, tama na."

(I spoke with Lacanilao. I told him to stop it. The company has already earned enough. That's enough.)

He also claimed that Stradcom had earned billions of pesos from its dealings with the government.

"More than P15 billion ang kinikita ng Stradcom diyan, ewan ko lang kung nagbayad sila ng tax. Baka hindi lang P15 billion, mga P22 billion."

(Stradcom has earned more than P15 billion from that. I don't know whether they paid taxes. It may not even be just P15 billion—it could be around P22 billion.)

In May, transport group Coalition 169 filed two complaints for graft, grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service against former and incumbent Department of Transportation (DOTr) officials over the alleged unlawful extension of Stradcom's government contract.

The complaints named former DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon, former LTO chief Vigor Mendoza, incumbent Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez, and several other officials.

Johnny Gomez, a member of Coalition 169, questioned why the DOTr continues to allow Stradcom to provide IT services despite the government's operation of the LTMS.

The complainants also alleged that several DOTr officials failed to verify whether Stradcom remains legally authorized to provide IT services. They claimed that the company has lacked legal basis to continue its contract for the past 10 years, following the implementation of the LTMS.

GMA News Online has reached out to Lacanilao for comment. — VBL, GMA News