Batac, Ilocos Norte—The officer-in-charge of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in this town had been assailed for demanding a commission and a monthly allowance from a local insurance company here apparently in exchange of an endorsement from the said OIC for LTO clients.

The complainant, identified as Alma M. Cid, married and a resident of Batac, Ilocos Norte, specifically accused Arnulfo M. Maranan, Batac LTO OIC for his alleged corrupt practices which include the demand of a fixed 10 percent commission from Cid’s insurance business and a monthly allowance of P10,000, later increased to P20,000.

This was contained in the affidavit submitted by Cid to Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP), with copies also transmitted to the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), mother agency of the LTO, and the Office of the Ombudsman.

Aside from the commission and allowance, Cid alleged that Maranan has also tasked her to pay for the expenses of the LTO utility worker, identified as Juni Laput, in filing and retrieving office records such as cable fees, and water bills among others.

Cid also revealed in her affidavit that Maranan also asked money from her for the LTO Flying Squad’s snacks and meals whenever they are in town. Aside from this, he also gets the receipts of the said expenses which he reimbursed later.

On September 2004, Cid said Maranan had again asked her for money to pay for the meals, transportation and accommodation expenses of several LTO internal auditors.

Cid said she asked Maranan to stop “pestering” her business as she could no longer afford to pay for all of his financial demands, which also included allegedly the Batac LTO chief’s ‘nigh life activities.’

“That for many instances, he [Maranan] is not only demanding money from my collections for his official use but for his personal use like not even batting an eyelash, he demands for his night life activities claiming he’s with the director at the Villa Estrella in San Fernando City, La Union,” Cid stressed in her affidavit.

As Cid began to refuse Maranan’s blatant demands, the complainant said the LTO OIC had also began to treat her “indifferently and unfairly” as he allegedly directed his subordinates at the said office to endorse other insurance companies to clients.

Also contained in Cid’s affidavit is the affidavit of three witnesses vouching for the correctness of what Cid divulged in her affidavit.

In filing the complaint against Maranan, Cid requested for an independent body be formed to investigate the allegations.

Meanwhile, acting on the said complaint, SP member Da Vinci M. Crisostomo, who hails from Batac, Ilocos Norte, has presented the complaint to the SP during a regular session wherein it was referred to the committee on good government for appropriate action.

Crisostomo, who also chairs the SP committee on good government, said that as a preliminary action, the committee would conduct a public hearing on the issue and invite the concerned personalities to shed more light on the matter.

Crisostomo also warned that if the public hearing would prove that Maranan did as alleged, the Batac LTO OIC would be subjected to appropriate sanctions, which may include his declaration as a “persona non grata” in the province.

Crisostomo has gained popularity by spearheading moves to declare erring government officials as “persona non grata” in Ilocos Norte.

Earlier, SP member Ma. Elena M. Nalupta, who is also from Batac, authored a resolution urging the LTO office to issue an order to its staff members not to engage in insurance-selling activities to avoid conflict of interests.

When Nalupta’s resolution was approved however, the LTO, in a communication letter addressed to the provincial board, said they could not act without an official complaint filed against a specific LTO official or employee.

It is now expected that Cid’s complaint against the Batac LTO OIC would serve as the initial step in implementing Nalupta’s resolution.

Meanwhile, in a separate interview, Maranan vehemently denied Cid’s allegation saying the complaint is “merely a harassment against” him which he simplified as a “demolition job.”

He further disputed Cid’s allegation that he has endorsed an insurance company saying he never did such as he also said he welcomes any form of physical investigation by concerned authorities.

Maranan also hinted that Cid’s complaint may have stemmed from the fact that Cid’s insurance company, which had been operating for 17 years now, had not been ready to face stiff competition from several insurance establishments in this town which had been established through the years.

Leilanie G. Adriano