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CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/25 March) – Civil society organizations (CSOs) have asked President Benigno Simeon Aquino III to look into the “overstaying” regional director of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) in Northern Mindanao, saying that Dir. Mandangan Darimbang does not have a “franchise” to his office.
The issue of Darimbang’s stay in the LTFRB, which dates back to 1988 during the term of the late President Corazon Aquino, was one of the issues raised by civil society organizations during the consultation with the President at Pilgrim Christian College Wednesday.
Darimbang, however, denied that his stint in the LTFRB here is continuous, noting that he had been assigned to Cotabato before going back to his present position during the time of former President Joseph Estrada.
He said that his stint as a career public servant in Cagayan de Oro is not limited to his duties as LTFRB director. “I am also concurrently the project manager of the Mindanao Railway Project of the Department of Transportation and Communication since 2009,” Darimbang said.
In response to the issue raised against Darimbang, Aquino said, “I will look into this. And if he is indeed overstaying, then we will have to change him.”
Darimbang said that he is open to investigation but added that so far he has not received a call from Malacañang and from the LTFRB head office on the issue.
“I am surprised by the issues raised against me,” Darimbang told MindaNews Friday.
The broad CSO coalition that presented issues to the President last Wednesday is composed of non-government organizations, lay religious organizations and the academe. (BenCyrus G. Ellorin / MindaNews)