LTFRB exec resigns over Pantranco deal

MANILA, Philippines - An official of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has resigned following a rift with Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) Secretary Manuel Roxas II.

LTFRB board member Manuel Iway, in a July 8 letter addressed to President Aquino, said he and fellow board member Samuel Garcia had been subjected to “vile innuendoes” when the board awarded 489 franchises owned by the defunct Pantranco bus firm to its employees, as ordered by the Court of Appeals.

Roxas overturned the LTFRB’s decision to revive the expired franchises and challenged the LTFRB officials involved to resign. DOTC spokesman Nicasio Conti said Roxas has yet to see the contents of Iway’s resignation letter.

Iway said his resignation, which takes effect on July 15, was irrevocable. He said he intends to run for congressman in the first district of Negros Oriental under the Liberal Party, to which Roxas also belongs.

Iway had served as LTFRB board member for two and a half years, but had been a director of the board and the Land Transportation Office before that.