The Philippine National Police–Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) is verifying intelligence reports on the alleged illegal registration of imported luxury vehicles at a regional office of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in Mindanao.
PNP-HPG spokesperson Lt. Nadame Malang said the report they received indicated that falsified HPG clearances were used to register high-end vehicles at the LTO Region 12 office.
“The report we received stated that the HPG clearances forwarded to the LTO were fake. The PNP-HPG is now validating whether any of our personnel are involved in this kind of transaction,” Malang said in an interview at Camp Crame in Quezon City.
The alleged scheme reportedly prompted the LTO to seek assistance from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in probing its regional office in Region 12.
In a letter dated November 4, the LTO leadership said it had consolidated complaints and reports on possible illegal activities in the office, which could aid the NBI investigation.
Aside from the questionable registration of luxury and imported second-hand vehicles, reports also indicated that the transfer of vehicle ownership was being processed without the required HPG clearance.
The HPG clearance is a mandatory document for vehicle ownership transfer to prevent carnapping and other illegal activities.
Malang assured the public that the PNP-HPG will not tolerate any wrongdoing within its ranks, vowing a thorough probe into the matter.
