Task force clears LTO chief Torres on car registration mess

An inter-agency task force probing the supposed collusion between government officials and car-theft syndicates has cleared Land Transportation Office (LTO) chief Virginia Torres of possible involvement in the allegations. Torres was earlier placed in hot water after the Highway Patrol Group claimed she was among the LTO officials responsible for the dubious registration of a Mitsubishi Pajero in Tarlac City. The incident prompted the government to form a joint panel composed of the departments of Justice and Interior and Local Government. In an interview with GMA News Online, Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo said that the Pajero registration Torres signed was just a renewal and that the car had already been registered three time before. Torres was not at fault because she was unaware the vehicle was stolen, Robredo said. "Sa dami ng papel sa mesa niya, wala nang (With the amount of paper on her desk, there was no) way at time to check. She just signs them because there is a presumption of regularity," Robredo said. Robredo said they found out that the Pajero was imported into the country, with its import duties unpaid since it was registered but with the serial number of a motorcycle. "Iyong inatasang magbayad ng taxes, kumuha ng rehistro ng motorsiklo [The one tasked to pay the taxes got the registration of a motorcycle]," he said. Charges to be filed vs former LTO chief The secretary said the task force would be recommending the filing of charges not against Torres but against former LTO Tarlac district office head Luciano Llanillo, who headed the agency when the original registration of the smuggled car was signed. Asked how their findings would affect the criminal charges filed against Torres in connection with the stolen Pajero, Robredo said the case would be as good as "resolved na. Based on factual findings, hindi talaga siya guilty (she’s not really guilty)." "But of course, hindi namin pinangungunahan ang DOJ. Nasa kanila ang final say sa decision (We are not pre-empting the DOJ. With them rests the final say in the decision)," he added. As for Philippine National Police (PNP) Director Roberto Rosales, Robredo said the task force has not found any evidence linking the police official to allegations that he was a protector of car-theft syndicates. "Ni wala iyon sa radar namin. Nakausap ko rin si Gen. [Ricardo] David at wala talaga (That’s not even on our radar. I've even spoken to staff Gen. David, and there's really nothing)," Robredo said. — VS, GMA News