Land Transportation Office (LTO) Chief Assistant Secretary Atty. Vigor D. Mendoza II announced Monday that he has preventively suspended for 90 days an employee of the agency in Samar for her alleged involvement in the spurious registration of a motor vehicle.

Mendoza said the suspension order was in relation to the administrative cases of Gross Neglect of Duty and Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of the Service based on the complaint of a motor vehicle owner in January this year.

Based on the complaint of the motor vehicle owner, it was the supervising transportation regulation officer in Samar who processed the illegal transfer of ownership involving a sedan.

The female complainant filed a case before the Office of the Ombudsman, which in turn, forwarded the case investigation to the LTO.

“Considering that your position affords you the opportunity to exert undue influence or-pressure on potential witnesses and tamper with evidence, pending Formal Investigation, you are hereby placed under Preventive Suspension for a period of 90 days, effective immediately upon receipt hereof,” the suspension order signed by Mendoza read.

In the conduct of the investigation, the complainant submitted LTO documents proving that the transaction facilitated by the LTO employee in Catbalogan City was spurious.

“The case is under investigation and we assure the public that we will not tolerate this illegal activity — if it is true. We will ferret out the truth on this matter,” Mendoza said.

While pursuing aggressive reforms and policies to boost the morale of all LTO employees, including the regularization of all contractual employees, Mendoza is very tough against wrongdoers in the agency.

Several officials and employees of the LTO were punished in the past two years amid the ongoing crackdown against erring employees, including those in cahoots with fixers.

The move according to the LTO chief, is in line with the instruction of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. to ensure accountability in government services, and under the guidance of Department of Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon.