Whistleblower recants

Former Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board official Jeff Tumbado, who dragged Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista and former LTFRB chairman Teofilo Guadiz II into alleged corruption in the agency, has recanted his claims.

Tumbado has issued a new statement in which he apologized to anyone his accusations may have negatively impacted. "After a careful reflection and deliberation, it is my honest desire to reiterate whatever allegations may have been said during the press conference on 9 October where the public declarations made were all unintentional and misguided," Tumbado said in an affidavit of recantation signed on Wednesday, 11 October.

"All of the things said were borne out of impulse, irrational thinking, misjudgement, poor decision making and were encouraged by some individuals who may have added to my confusion and affected my better judgment," Tumbado said in the document obtained by Daily Tribune.

Tumbado added that he issued a sworn affidavit as a public apology to Bautista, Guadiz, and the Office of the President. He added that he had "no malicious intention to besmirch the integrity and reputation of anyone."

Despite Tumbado retracting his allegations, he continued to assert that issues persist within the agency.

"However, I still stand by the issue that there are indeed problems in the agency that require immediate investigation by authorities concerned, and those responsible should be held accountable," he said in his affidavit.

He did not specify what those "problems" were.

In a press briefing earlier this week, Tumbado had accused Guadiz of being the focal point of a "lagayan scheme," where the official consistently received payments of up to P5 million in return for the expeditious approval of special permits, franchises, and route modifications.

Tumbado also claimed that transport operators were told to put down a 50-percent initial payment, with the remaining amount to be handed over once their request was approved.

He also asserted that each LTFRB regional director had to contribute a monthly quota of P2 million, resulting in a total monthly collection of P30 million.

He also claimed the bribes went up to the Department of Transportation and the Office of the President.

In the same press conference, Tumbado indicated his intention to initiate legal actions against the purported corrupt officials within the week.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. suspended Guadiz over his alleged involvement in corrupt activities.

After Guadiz was suspended, Atty. Mercy Paras Leynes, a board member, was appointed interim head and chairperson of the LTFRB.

In a separate statement, Bautista refuted claims of his involvement in corruption and announced his intention to pursue legal action against those who accused him of misconduct.

Bautista dismissed the corruption allegations as "baseless" and emphasized that he had not accepted any monetary benefits or favors during his tenure as transportation secretary.

"When I took the helm at the Department of Transportation, I vowed to serve the country and the Filipino people with integrity, which to me is more precious than any material wealth," Bautista said.

In the same statement, Bautista said he would also file a complaint, which he did not specify, against "whoever has been maligning" him. He did not mention the transport group.

"I intend to strongly defend the truth and my name," he said.