Roxas accepts resignation of LTFRB chair

Transportation and Communications Secretary Manuel Roxas II on Tuesday accepted the courtesy resignation of Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board chairman Nelson Laluces. Since it is a courtesy resignation, Laluces will continue leading and managing the operations of the LTFRB “to ensure the continuous services of the agency" until a replacement is named, Roxas said in a statement. Laluces’ gesture is proof that President Benigno Aquino III’s appointees “have nothing but pure service in mind," according to the secretary. “I thank him for his graciousness… We can only admire his values and his work ethic," Roxas said. He noted that Laluces and all other heads of line agencies and attached agencies, including him, work at the pleasure of the President. Reports have it that Laluces quit his post to give Roxas a free hand to choose his men. In a separate statement, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said Laluces’ statement was “pretty straightforward. He wants to give Secretary Mar Roxas a free hand in selecting his own people." Laluces was the seventh government agency head who resigned since Aquino became President. The first was Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo, followed by Transportation Secretary Jose ‘Ping’ de Jesus and then Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim. Romulo is a carryover from the Arroyo administration whom Aquino retained as Foreign Affairs secretary. De Jesus quit his post for health reasons while Lim said he needs more time with his family. Bureau of Corrections chief Ernesto Diokno, also an Aquino appointee, quit his post following the controversy surrounding the special treatment given to former Batangas Gov. Antonio Leviste, a convicted killer. — VS, GMA News