Aquino: LTO's Torres to resume work soon

President Benigno Aquino III has confirmed that Land Transportation Office (LTO) chief Virginia Torres will resume her duties very soon. “She has gone through an investigation already. I think the penalty that was prescribed has already been meted out and she will resume her duties by Saturday, the third week of this month," Aquino said in a press conference Tuesday. At that same occasion, he also announced the appointment of Torres’ boss, defeated running-mate Manuel Roxas II, as the new Secretary of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC). Torres went on a leave in April upon Aquino’s request amid the controversies involving the takeover incident at the offices of Stradcom Corporation in the LTO compound in Quezon City. Stradcom, under a build-own-operate agreement, is the firm tasked to provide IT services for the LTO at no cost to the government. The Department of Justice (DOJ) last March 4 recommended Torres’ dismissal from service for alleged complicity in the incident that disrupted LTO operations for nearly six hours. DOJ’s fact-finding committee also recommended to the DOTC the filing of gross negligence or gross incompetence charges against Torres, for having "favored" a group that asserted ownership over Stradcom. The panel said Torres did not prevent the takeover moves even when she had prior knowledge of it. In April, Stradcom filed corruption and disobedience charges against Torres whom they accused of favoring Bonifacio Sumbilla and Aderito Yujuico, the individuals claiming they were Stradcom’s new owners. — VS, GMA News