Mendoza: Arrest of 2 fixers in QC must serve as warning

Land Transportation Office (LTO) Assistant Secretary Atty. Vigor D. Mendoza II on Tuesday said the arrest of two fixers in an entrapment operation near the agency’s Central Office in Quezon City must serve as a warning.

Nabbed were sisters Teresita dela Cruz, 58; and Kathleen Joy dela Cruz, both residents of Tondo, Manila.

The operation stemmed from the complaint of a 26-year old man who said that the two did not deliver their promise of fast transaction of his non-professional driver’s license after paying P6,800 on 8 March.

The complainant said he was forced to seek the assistance of the police after the dela Cruz sisters were again demanding additional P1,350.

An entrapment was immediately mapped out that was planned by personnel of the LTO Intelligence and Investigation Division director Renante Militante, the personnel from the QCPD Station 10 headed by Police Lt. Col. Bob Amoranto, Police Lt. Col. Rolan Kingat head of the Office of the Internal Security - Special Project Group of DILG under the Office of Secretary Benjamin 'Benhur' Abalos, Jr.

This resulted in the arrest of the suspects at around 2:00 p.m. on Monday, 1 April, in Barangay Pinyahan, Quezon City.

During the investigation, the victim said he was convinced to deal with the suspects after they claimed that they have strong connections inside the LTO Central Office.

Mendoza warned the public against fixers that include scammers online.

“We would like to remind the public again that our transaction in the LTO is already fast. So please do not be fooled by the sweet words of these fixers. Walang maloloko, kung walang magpapaloko,” Mendoza said.

“This should also send a strong message that the LTO is serious in its goal of weeding out fixers and scammers using our agency,” he added.

Mendoza also reiterated his instruction to all LTO Regional Directors to continuously implement the aggressive campaign against fixers in their respective areas and beef up the information drive to deny fixers and online scammers to victimized LTO clients.

The suspects are now detained at the QCPD Station 10 in Kamuning and are now facing criminal charges that include estafa.

Mendoza also lauded the operation by the joint personnel of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) and the Special Project Group of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), saying this is proof that operations against fixers remain aggressive in line with the instruction of Department of Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista.