Land Transportation Office (LTO) chief Jose Art Tugade resigned Monday, citing differences with his boss, Transport Secretary Jaime J. Bautista.
“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 Secretary Jimmy Bautista will have the free hand to choose who he can work best with,” Tugade said in a statement.
“I will continue to root for the LTO’s success even as a private citizen, because I will always share in Secretary Bautista’s belief that our offices can be a formidable force for good in our country,” he added.
Tugade, son of former Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade, resigned after his agency was criticized over the shortage of plastic cards for driver’s licenses, which prompted the agency to print out licenses on paper.
The agency also said license plates for motorcycles are expected to run out by June and those for four-wheeled vehicles by July.
The younger Tugade was first appointed as acting general manager of the Manila International Airport Authority but was reappointed as head of the LTO.
Bautista thanked Tugade for his seven-month stint as LTO chief, saying his pursuit of service innovations at LTO benefited the public.
“We will submit to the Office of the President our recommendation of an LTO chief who can display the same fervor, while aligning efforts to the mission of this department,” Bautista said.