THE NATIONAL Bureau of Investigation (NBI) XI warned corrupt government employees after arresting four suspects during an entrapment operation outside the Land Transportation Office (LTO) XI regional headquarters in Ecoland on Monday morning.
The operation, which took place around 11 a.m. on April 20, resulted in the arrest of two men and two women.
The sting was launched following a formal request from LTO XI regional director, Atty. Raphael Robillo, to purge the agency of “fixers.”
NBI-Southeastern Mindanao assistant regional director Gerald Intes revealed that the arrests were made simultaneously with two nearby establishments: EZ Auto Driving Academy and Blessed Pedro Calungsod Medical Laboratory.
According to Intes, the suspects would approach clients outside the LTO gates, offering to expedite vehicle registrations and licensing for a “service fee.”
These fees were allegedly split between the fixers, the private clinics or insurance companies, and their contacts inside the LTO.
“The transaction begins at the gate. The fixers bring the clients to specific offices for medical exams or insurance, and then the transaction moves inside the LTO,” Intes explained. “You cannot complete these registrations without someone working on the inside.”
NBI agents used marked money to entrap the targets. Once the signal was given, the four were apprehended and brought to a secure location for questioning, where they were personally confronted by Robillo.
While the four suspects face charges for violating Republic Act 11032, also known as the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018 (amending the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007), the investigation is far from over.
Intes confirmed that the NBI has been granted full clearance by Robillo to investigate LTO personnel—including officials and rank-and-file employees—who may be colluding with these fixers.
“This is a warning to those inside the LTO: we are already working on you,” Intes said. “Director Robillo gave us the clearance to work on anyone, regardless of rank. We are moving inside now.”
The suspects’ names are withheld pending the formal filing of charges. However, one female suspect, an encoder for a medical laboratory, denied any illegal transaction.
The NBI crime laboratory is currently processing the suspects for traces of fluorescent powder from the marked money. As of press time, TIMES is still awaiting a formal statement from LTO XI regarding the internal crackdown.
