Tugade steps down as LTO Chief six months after being appointed

After six months in the office, Atty. Jay Art Tugade has stepped down as the Land Transportation Office (LTO) chief.

Atty. Jay Art Tugade

According to Tugade, the difference between the LTO and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) in formulating methods for success led to the resignation.

“Even as DOTr and LTO both aim to succeed in serving the public, our methods to achieve that success differ. For this reason, I am stepping down, so Sec. Jimmy Bautista will have the free hand to choose who he can work best with,” said Atty. Tugade.

When Tugade was still at the helm, he rolled out campaigns that aim to make the lives of Filipino motorists more convenient. These include the intensified crackdown on fixers and red tape, the online motor vehicle registration, and the ‘Isumbong Mo Kay Chief’ online complaint platform.

Eight dealerships were also fined by the agency for taking too long to register vehicles sold under them. Each had a fine of Php 2,000 and a warning that a repeat violation could face more serious consequences.

Tugade served the agency for six months

He also led the standardization of driving school fees to make the privilege of driving more accessible to more Filipinos. The maximum Theoretical Driving Course (TDC) has been set to Php 1,000, which is a significant reduction over the previous average of Php 2,000.

However, Tugade was challenged by the license plates supply shortage. The agency expected that the full effect of this issue will happen in July.

But the outgoing chief said that he will continue rooting for the success of the agencies, believing that DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista will appoint the ideal candidate for the job.

“I will continue to root for the LTO’s success even as a private citizen, because I will always share in Sec. Bautista’s belief that our offices can be a formidable force for good in our country," added Tugade.

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