Land Transportation Office (LTO) Chief Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza assured the public that luxury cars linked to the Discaya family complied with registration requirements, even as the Bureau of Customs (BOC) flagged them for alleged incomplete documentation.
In an interview on DZRH’s Dos Por Dos, Mendoza explained that 30 luxury vehicles registered under the Discayas and their companies are now under review.
“As of the report sa akin ngayong umaga, all 30 pumasa sa documentary check, meaning to say ‘yong apat na dokumentong ‘yon ay present sa aming file,” Mendoza said. “So, kapag sinasabing incomplete ‘yong documentation, hindi for purposes of registration.”
He detailed the four documents required for vehicle registration: “’Yong una ‘yong tinatawag na certificate of tax report, yung pangalawa po yung police clearance, yung pangatlo yung invoice, atsaka pang-apat ‘yong certificate of payment ng Bureau of Customs na pinapakita na binayaran yung taxes ng sasakyan na ‘yon.”
Mendoza clarified that the most crucial proof of compliance—the BOC’s certificate of payment—does not go through manual processing. “This certificate of payment is electronically transmitted to LTO, hindi to inaabot sa bintana,” he stressed.
Conflict with Customs Findings
Despite this, the BOC earlier said the vehicles had “no papers.” Mendoza admitted this contradiction must be resolved.
“Utos nga ni Sec. Giovanni (Banoy) Lopez ay magpapadala kami ng team sa Bureau of Customs, para magpakitaan kami ng dokumento ‘ano pang kulang’. Kasi on our side (LTO) simple lang naman, apat na dokumento ang hanap namin,” he said.
Mendoza explained that investigators are looking at two possible scenarios behind the discrepancy between the Discaya cars and the Bureau of Customs’ investigation. The first is that the electronically transmitted documents may have been falsified, which would explain why BOC reported missing requirements.
If this is the case, the LTO plans to involve the PNP Cybercrime Unit to determine whether alterations or fake documents were submitted online. The second possibility is that certain LTO personnel may have made it appear that documents were electronically filed when, in reality, they were not.
Deepening Probe
The LTO chief admitted the investigation is not yet done and warned that red flags would not be ignored.
“Lumalalim lang. Kasi kung napeke ‘yong electronically submitted documents then red flag sa amin ‘yon. I’m sure red flag din ‘yon sa Bureau of Customs. Kung tao naman namin ang may kalokohan making it appear there was an electronically submitted when in fact it was not eh mananagot, may signature trail mark naman ‘yan,” Mendoza said.
He added that so far in their initial audit they have not yet tagged any LTO employees who may have done any wrongdoing within the agency.
High-Profile Names Investigated
Mendoza confirmed that the LTO is also auditing other personalities linked to the ongoing Senate and congressional flood control probes, including Brice Hernandez, Henry Alcantara, and involved politicians.
The LTO official also disclosed the special case of Brice Hernandez due to similarity of identification with another individual.
“’Yong kay Brice Hernandez ang medyo may specularity, meron siyang kapangalan na Bryce Ericson Hernandez. Iba lang spelling ng Brice/Bryce,” he noted.
Concerns arose after a driver’s license under the name “Marvin Santos De Guzman” with a picture of Brice Hernandez was reportedly used to enter a casino.
Mendoza clarified that there was no official data of said driver’s license in their records, hence flagged as a fake identification card.
“Noong tinrack namin ‘yong pangalan na ‘yan wala kaming ini-issue na lisensya with that serial number na naga-appear sa aming records. So for all intents and purposes ‘yong lisensya na pinakita nila sa casino ay peke,” Mendoza said.
Mendoza revealed that a joint operation between the LTO and the PNP Cybercrime Division in Valenzuela led to the arrest of individuals producing fake IDs.
“Kahapon lang meron kaming joint action ng Cybercrime division ng PNP at may nahuli kaming gumagawa ng fake IDs sa Valenzuela,” he said.
While investigations continue, Mendoza reiterated that the LTO is cooperating with other agencies to establish the truth behind the cases linked to the flood control project scam.
