Ni KIER EDISON C. BELLEZA
CEBU CITY – Pinabulaanan ni Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB)-Region 7 Director Ahmed Cuizon ang mga alegasyon ni Senator Antonio Trillanes IV na sangkot siya at ang manugang ni Pangulong Duterte na si Atty. Manases “Mans” Carpio sa umano’y pangingikil sa Uber Philippines.
Akusa ni Trillanes, humingi umano ng bribe sina Cuizon at Carpio mula sa mga opisyal ng ride-hailing company upang magkaroon ito ng prangkisa nang masimulan na ang operasyon nito sa rehiyon.
Mariing itinanggi ng LTFRB regional director ang mga alegasyon at sa pamamagitan ng isang Facebook post nitong Biyernes ay binanggit ang kanyang mga accomplishment bilang lingkod-bayan.
“I hate to sound like I’m lifting my own bench, but I am the only LTFRB Regional Director [RD] from the old set of RDs who has not been replaced or transferred to another region. In fact, up until recently, I was even assigned as Officer-In-Charge of LTFRB in Region 8 in a concurrent capacity,” sabi ni Cuizon.
“These would not have happened if I were involved in illegal activities,” paliwanag pa niya.
Ayon kay Cuizon, naka-out-of-town leave siya noong nakaraang buwan nang bumisita sa Cebu City si LTFRB Chairman Martin Delgra III upang magsagawa ng closed-door conference sa mga opisyal at operator ng Uber.
“That would have been the best venue for complaints like this to surface. But nothing of that sort came up,” sabi ni Cuizon.
“As to road projects, just like customs, I have nothing to do with them,” pagtanggi pa ni Cuizon tungkol naman sa umano’y pagkakasangkot niya sa kurapsiyon sa Road Board.
Nabanggit ni Trillanes ang pangalan ni Cuizon sa pagpapatuloy ng pagdinig ng Senate Blue Ribbon committee nitong Huwebes tungkol sa P6.4-bilyon shabu shipment mula sa China na nakalusot sa Bureau of Customs (BoC).
Dumalo sa nasabing pagdinig si Carpio at ang bayaw nito at panganay ng Pangulo na si Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, kung saan itinanong ni Trillanes ang una kung kilala nito ang ilang personalidad, kabilang si Cuizon.
Tumanggi ang abogado, na asawa ni Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.
“Just like everybody else, I know Atty. Mans Carpio officially because he is a respected member of the First Family.
But I honestly don’t know why my name was mentioned by Sen. Trillanes in the Senate today. Atty. Carpio himself answered that he doesn’t know me, so I think we should leave it at that,” sabi pa ni Cuizon sa naunang Facebook post.
