A transport group has filed a graft complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman against Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) chairperson Vigor Mendoza II and Anthony Quiambao of Stradcom Corporation.
At the center of the issue: P169 million in alleged computer fees collected from public utility vehicle (PUV) owners.
According to the Federated Land Transport Organizations of the Philippines (FELTOP), the fees were collected unlawfully.
In a statement, the group accused Mendoza of allowing Stradcom to impose a P169 computer fee per transaction while he was still serving as chief of the Land Transportation Office (LTO).
The collection allegedly ran from January 28, 2025 to February 28, 2026.
Over time, that fee quietly added up.
Transaction after transaction… registration after registration…
Until the total reached P169 million.
FELTOP said the amount corresponds to roughly one million public utility vehicles registered under the Stradcom IT system.
For many operators, that extra fee meant one more burden on top of rising fuel prices, maintenance costs, and daily expenses.
FELTOP spokesperson Jun Braga said their complaint is about more than just numbers.
It is about fairness.
“Our complaint seeks accountability, transparency, and protection for small transport operators who continue to bear additional operational costs,” Braga said.
While the Ombudsman reviews the case, the group is also pushing for immediate action.
FELTOP has asked the Ombudsman to impose a 90-day preventive suspension on Mendoza from his current post as LTFRB chairperson.
They are also calling for something that could directly impact thousands of drivers and operators — a refund of all computer fees paid by PUV operators starting January 28, 2025 until today.
But Mendoza strongly pushed back.
In a statement, he said the policies he implemented during his time at the LTO were part of broader reforms aimed at improving services.
“Our aggressive policy reforms geared towards fast and comfortable services when I was still in the LTO cut deep into the interests of some individuals and groups,” Mendoza said.
He suggested that some groups are still feeling the impact of those reforms.
“They still feel the sharp and biting pain of the effects until now,” he said, “and therefore could not move on.”
Still, Mendoza said he is open to the investigation.
“Nevertheless, I respect and welcome the decision of the self-proclaimed transport group to bring the matter to the Office of the Ombudsman since this is the proper forum to shed light on this old and recycled issue,” he added.
But the LTFRB chief did not hold back in defending himself.
According to Mendoza, the complaint is not about accountability at all.
Instead, he believes it is driven by personal motives.
“This is not about accountability,” he said.
“This is plain and simple desperation to get even.”
For now, the case rests with the Ombudsman — and the outcome could determine whether the P169 million controversy becomes a story of reform… or reckoning.
