• CHRYSEE G. SAMILLANO
The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod will be organizing into a committee as a whole to inquire and investigate the alleged illegal and corrupt activities in the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO).
Councilor Al Victor Espino, chair of the SP Committee on Laws, yesterday said his committee will head the investigating body, which they will be forming today. This will also signify the composition of the body.
Espino told members of the SP during the regular session yesterday, that he personally saw that BTAO continued to accept payments at 5:30 p.m. which he believes is highly irregular.
Due to the voluminous activities that the BTAO generates because of apprehensions, the City Treasurer’s Office (CTO) has assigned a satellite cashier at BTAO to accommodate payments up to 3 p.m. only. No other offices can accept payments except the CTO, he said.
Espino said he went to BTAO to ascertain the situation of the person who called him up.
“I went there physically because two words were used – ’detained’ and ‘carnapped’,” he said.
When he went to BTAO, he personally saw that at 5 p.m., they were still accepting payments for apprehensions. That is why he saw it fit that as a member of the SP and chair of the Committee on Transportation and Traffic, they thoroughly investigate what is going on, Espino said.
If it is proven that there is corruption, cases will be filed in court accordingly, he said.
Espino said he is also investigating employment in BTAO, after learning that some employees are allegedly related to the BTAO head.*
