Tugade steps down as LTO chief

MANILA – Land Transportation Office (LTO) chief Assistant Secretary Jose Arturo “Jay Art” Tugade has announced his resignation as the agency’s head, citing differing “methods” with Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista.

In a statement Monday, Tugade said his resignation, effective June 1, will allow Bautista to have a “free hand” in choosing “who he can best work with.”

“Even as DOTr [Department of Transportation] and LTO both aim to succeed in serving the public, our methods to achieve that success differ. For this reason, I am stepping down,” he said.

Tugade assumed office as LTO chief on Nov. 17 last year, bringing his time in office to a little more than six months.

During his tenure, he implemented changes such as moving from written temporary operator’s permits to an electronic system, creating a price cap for driving school rates, offering incentives for the purchase of electric vehicles through discounted fees, among others.

“I will continue to root for the LTO’s success even as a private citizen because I will always share in Sec. Bautista’s belief that our offices can be a formidable force for good in our country,” he said.

In a separate statement, Bautista said he appreciated Tugade’s stint as chief of the LTO, an attached agency of the DOTr.

“His pursuit of service innovations at LTO benefited the public, for which this office is grateful,” he said. “We will submit to the Office of the President our recommendation of an LTO Chief who can display the same fervor, while aligning efforts to the mission of this Department,” Bautista said. /