LTFRB whistleblower reverts to allegations

He exposed corruption at the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, only to recant his allegations a few days later.

Yesterday, Jeffrey Tumbado, the former executive assistant turned whistleblower, recanted again, claiming he was "pressured" into making his first recantation.

Tumbado, who said he was standing by his original accusations, told the DAILY TRIBUNE his first recantation was made to protect former LTFRB chairman Teofilo Guadiz III, who was suspended by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. following the former's revelations.

"I (first) came forward to defend myself from the accusations of the very person I was trying to protect, who was Chairman Guadiz, that I was asking for money, which was a surprise to me and which I deny," Tumbado said in Filipino.

He said LTFRB officials were really involved in corrupt practices, and all his revelations were true, as he witnessed some of the transactions.

"Whatever I said in that UP hotel press con, I will stand by it because I witnessed it," he said.

In his exposé last week, Tumbado said public utility operators were told to cough out up to ₱5 million to secure the approval of routes, franchises, and special permits, among other things, and to speed up the processing of their requests.

Other officials

Tumbado alleged that aside from Guadiz, other officials of the Department of Transportation and Malacañang were involved.

He said that after his first recantation, Guadiz approached him and asked for forgiveness.

"He asked me to forgive him and begged me to give him another chance at a new life, to get back his reputation and career," Tumbado said.

In his sworn affidavit submitted to the National Bureau of Investigation, Tumbado denied Guadiz fired him over allegations that he was the one who was asking for money from the transport groups.

He said he had previously worked with Guadiz at the Land Transportation Office and was hired again as his executive assistant when Guadiz was appointed to the LTFRB.

Tumbado said he joined the LTFRB in January 2023 and resigned in September.

He said he joined the press conference of the transport group Manibela on 9 October, where he bared the irregularities at the LTFRB.

After that press conference, Guadiz approached him and asked him to recant his allegations, Tumbado said.

He said his revelations blew out of proportion that he could not control nor understand, adding that he and Guadiz later came to terms and forgave each other.