The Office of the Ombudsman has placed two former Land Transportation Office (LTO) heads under a six-month preventive suspension without pay over the prolonged operation of the agency’s legacy information technology platform.
During a Tuesday press briefing, Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano disclosed the administrative order against Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Chairman Vigor Mendoza II and Office of Transportation Cooperatives (OTC) Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III.
Clavano indicated that investigators found sufficient grounds to pursue charges of grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, noting that “strong evidence showing their guilt” supported the administrative complaint.
Guadiz directed the LTO from July to November 2022, while Mendoza steered the bureau from July 2023 through October 2025.
The administrative case centers on their decision to maintain the STRADCOM-managed IT system despite the LTO having already adopted and fully accepted its official replacement, the Land Transportation Management System (LTMS).
Even with the new platform officially integrated, Guadiz and subsequently Mendoza allegedly advocated for running the legacy STRADCOM system alongside the LTMS.
“The continued parallel use of the old system resulted in the continued collection of computer fees from the public,” Clavano said.
State auditors from the Commission on Audit (COA) recorded over ₱13.3 billion in computer fees passed on to the public due to the extended dual-system setup between 2019 and 2025.
Clavano clarified that the temporary suspension serves a procedural purpose rather than functioning as a punitive measure while proceedings are active.
“The preventive suspension is intended not as a penalty but to preserve documents and evidence and prevent possible further malfeasance or misfeasance in office,” he said.
“The order, as indicated, is immediately executory,” he added.