Internally displaced government officials
Believe it or not there is such a tribe in government who in spite of working faithfully for decades have found themselves “Internally displaced” within the offices or institutions they work for. Take for instance a lady at the LTO in Cebu who after many years of service was suppose to be lined up for promotion to the rank of regional director. Everybody in her office assumed it was just a matter of time since she was already OIC of the main office in Cebu. Then one day, someone walked in and took the job right from under her feet. When I inquired how that could happen, insiders from way down south where power brokers now hold sway told me that the appointed official had been appointed by a Congressman from Davao who was once very close to President Duterte.
About a month ago, I heard rumors at the DOTr that a religious influence peddler had visited Secretary Art Tugade to nominate an official of the LTO currently on “floating status” to become the regional director of LTO in the National Capital Region which covers the entire Metro Manila and the Calabarzon. The LTO-NCR is a vital territory because it handles the bulk of LTO transactions particularly all new vehicle registration, it is the center of operations for LTO and generates the bulk of LTO revenues. I am told that Secretary Tugade referred the matter to Assistant Secretary Edgar Galvante who politely replied that the position is occupied by a competent and trusted individual and should be left alone.
Since nothing happened, I assumed that Secretary Tugade found a way out of the situation and washed his hands. I was wrong. I just learned that Tugade recently sent out an order to divide the LTO-NCR or Metro Manila into two: NCR East and NCR West. Unfortunately this Solomonic decision of Tugade has no wisdom whatsoever because it is clearly a political accommodation, or someone has used his good name and signature to create a system to once again use the LTO as conduit or instrument to generate or collect campaign funds for the 2019 elections. In the first place, the LTO-NCR is actually under good management and leadership and has managed to fix many problems created and left behind by the previous administration.
Five-year license cards have been rolled out, the LTO’s plate making “factory” or shop has been placed back in service and now produces thousands of license plates, people can now make appointments online, companies have started to avail of the LTO’s E-payment system so they no longer have to physically bring millions of pesos for bulk transactions and registrations. Regular law enforcement operations have been undertaken to deal with overloading trucks and smoke belchers and the LTO has gotten tough on abusive drivers. They have also initiated the promotion of many employees who have languished in their position for years because former bosses did not a give a damn. Last but not the least, people have been praising the LTO for speedy service. In other words, Secretary Tugade, Why fix it if it ain’t broke?
This latest act of Secretary Tugade worries me because insiders suspect that Tugade was used by political strategists, the same way it was done in the previous administration where 7 LTO regional directors were internally displaced and replaced by OICs or political appointees who were eventually labeled as fundraisers because they allegedly used their position and contact with businesses and businessmen to solicit campaign contributions for the administration candidates then. It would be tragic if Secretary Tugade who has been mounting an anti-corruption campaign ends up becoming the mule that carried Ali Baba and the forty thieves into the LTO just to get campaign funds. After decades of ignoring the “rice smuggling operations” in the south, why did the Coast Guard suddenly intercept boat loads of cheap rice intended to support four provinces that do not plant or produce sufficient amounts of rice? Why did the action suddenly come about even if there were no media or public outcry on the activity given how the cheap rice truly blessed and supplied Zamboanga, Basilan, Jolo and Tawi-Tawi? And why did the raids continue in spite of the fact that there has been a serious supply problem of rice in the area?
It seems that some well connected officials; kamaganaks and politicians have taken an interest in the money being made from smuggled rice! A number of real players familiar with the business have separately informed me that it was targeted by a group who are part of the Davao-Mindanao political block who saw an opportunity for a hostile takeover, or at the very least get a cut from the operations to fund their candidates in the upcoming elections. The “tongpats” or commission according to a Congressman is allegedly P5 per sack of rice, which is easy money by the boatload. The motive is clear, there is no shortage of suspects mostly from Davao, and the only thing players are busy verifying is if a certain Cabinet member is part of the deal and if the money is for the personal use of the suspects or intended to be used as funds for their political party and candidates! I recently got word that certain representatives of the DOLE have been visiting the major TV networks asking employees about their employment status, “how they are being treated and if they are happy at work.” The employees found this strange and bordering on soliciting or harvesting possible negative feedback. It is one thing for the DOLE to investigate reports and complaints but when they solicit such things in the work place, they place employees under suspicion, create unnecessary and unwelcomed stress in the work place and generate suspicion as to their real motives.
Is it employees’ welfare they are concerned with or is this a pre-election witchhunt meant to startle or rattle media firms. There are many ways to shake the trees, don’t shake employees.