Cabrera: No reason for Office of Executive Director to keep documents

MANILA (UPDATED) - The country's transport regulator said Friday it lost the accreditation papers of Uber and Grab, as the two ride-sharing services sought a renewal of their permits to operate.

"Pagpasok po namin diyan sa opisina namin, for the record, nawala po ang accreditation papers ng Uber and Grab," Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board spokesperson Aileen Lizada told DZMM.

(When we assumed office, for the record, the accreditation papers of Uber and Grab were already missing.)

"We want to know nasaan ang accreditation papers nila kasi doon namin makikita nasaan ang business design nila, what did they submit, ano ba talaga ang kanilang proposal, how they will go about their business. Hindi po namin makita ang papeles na iyun."

(We want to know where the accreditation papers are because these will show the firms' business design, the requirements they submitted, their proposals and how they will go about their business. We cannot find these documents.)

The accreditation papers, Lizada said, were supposed to be in the safekeeping of a former LTFRB executive director but his staff said they were not holding the documents.

However, former LTFRB executive director Bobbit Cabrera on Friday denied that his staff were involved in losing the ride-sharing services’ accreditation papers.

"LTFRB BM Lizada is insinuating that my office lost the accreditation papers of Uber and Grab. For the record, the Office of the Executive Director processes the applications for accreditation," Cabrera said in a text message to ABS-CBN News.

"After they are approved, the OED no longer has any reason to keep the documents. They are passed on to the board already. The executive director is not even a signatory to the accreditation papers. Once the members of the board signs the documents, files are sent to the OSEC, MID and Records Division," he added.



ABS-CBN News also asked former LTFRB chairman Winston Ginez on the whereabouts of the documents. He said those who were left behind must know where the papers are.



“BM Corpus and BM Inton were left after the end of my term. Also, the Acting Executive Director and Chief Legal Atty. Bobby Peig was with LTFRB after we left. All the chiefs of divisions are still with LTFRB. All these people know where are the TNC/TNVS records. The pending TNVS applications were with the Legal Division,” Ginez said in a statement.



Former board member Ariel Inton is also wondering how the documents could get lost if the LTFRB top officials were given copies.



“Nagtaka ako bakit nawala, how can that be eh maraming kopya yun. naglalabas naman sila ng status report. Ibig sabihin meron,” he said.

Grab's accreditation expired last July 3. Uber's will expire in August.

The LTFRB is set to convene a technical working group to discuss the firms' accreditation renewal and how many of their vehicles should be allowed to operate.

The agency earlier fined Uber and Grab P5 million each for allegedly taking in new drivers even after the government suspended applications of new permits last year.

The Philippines was the first country in the world to regulate ride-sharing services. Uber and Grab are especially popular in Metro Manila, where traffic jams, faulty trains and selective or overcharging taxi drivers are a constant source of misery for commuters. --With a report from Jacque Manabat, ABS-CBN News