The Department of Transportation (DoTr) has ordered the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to immediately investigate allegations of payola, or bribery, within the agency, Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said Sunday.

Lopez issued the directive in response to issues raised by the transport group Manibela, which plans to stage a nationwide strike next week.

“I haven’t spoken with Manibela chairperson Mar Valbuena yet, but he has already spoken with LTO chief Assistant Secretary Markus Lacanilao. Their issue is reportedly the long processing time for registration, along with allegations of payola,” Lopez said in a radio interview.

He added that he has instructed Lacanilao to address the matter and submit recommendations.

“I expect his recommendations on Tuesday. I told him to prioritize personnel facing such allegations and dismiss them if there is evidence,” said Lopez.

To recall, Manibela earlier announced it will stage a nationwide transport strike from 9 to 11 December to protest what it calls excessive penalties and slow government processing of documents.

Regarding the registration issue, Lopez stressed that traditional Public Utility Jeepneys (PUJs) can still be registered, provided they meet safety standards.

“There’s no problem registering traditional PUJs. Just make sure they are roadworthy before registration,” said Lopez, adding that the DoTr is open to dialogue with Manibela, recognizing that the planned strike will severely affect commuters.

For now, government agencies are mapping routes likely to be affected by the strike to deploy free rides.

The planned protest comes amid the government’s ongoing Public Transport Modernization Program, launched in 2017, which seeks to replace traditional jeepneys with Euro 4-compliant units to reduce pollution.