12 alleged LTO fixers nabbed

MANILA, Philippines — Twelve suspected fixers who posed as employees of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) were apprehended in Quezon City yesterday morning. 

The suspects were nabbed during an entrapment operation hatched by police and the LTO at the agency’s central office along East Avenue.

Authorities said the suspects were operating in Barangay Pinagkaisahan, and were asking for as much as P5,000 from their clients in exchange for processing driver’s licenses.

The fixers supposedly promised their clients that they would pass the written and driving tests in securing a driver’s license if they pay the amount. 

“They approach clients and act as if they belong to an LTO help desk or are part of the agency,” Clarence Guinto, head of the LTO Law Enforcement Service, said.

Guinto said they have been receiving reports of fixers at the LTO central office, which prompted the “blitzkrieg operation” against the suspects.

He added they would conduct further investigation to identify the suspects’ contacts in the LTO. 

Police said they confiscated tarpaulins from the suspects, who are facing charges for violating the anti-red tape law, the Quezon City anti-fixing ordinance and usurpation of authority.

Guinto urged the public not to deal with fixers and transact only with legitimate officers of the LTO. 

“To our clients, do not patronize these fixers posing as LTO employees. They will not facilitate the processing of your transactions. They will only give you trouble,” he said.