Lanao Sur, Maguindanao LTO now under BARMM

COTABATO CITY - The Bangsamoro government finally assumed control Wednesday of the Land Transportation Office in Maguindanao and in Lanao del Sur that insiders first opposed due to misunderstandings on transition modalities.

Paisalin Tago, transportation and communications minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said Wednesday their assumption of the management of the LTO branches in both provinces was premised on the charter of BARMM, the Republic Act 11054.

The LTO in Maguindanao and in Lanao del Sur were originally under the LTO’s regional office in Administrative Region 12 in Koronadal City.

Officials of LTO-Maguindanao twice resisted the takeover of their office by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications-BARMM owing to what they asserted as lack of “legal imprimatur” from the central office of the Department of Transportation and the Office of the President.

After a dialogue, officials of LTO-Maguindanao together turned over on Wednesday afternoon their office to Tago and Anwar Upam, who is LTO’s director in the Bangsamoro region.

“It was officials of the DOTr who told us, during our dialogues last year in Metro Manila, that the MOTC can take over the LTO in Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur without any issue at all,” Tago said.

Tago told reporters Wednesday, while at the LTO-Maguindanao office in Barangay Capiton in Datu Odin Sinsuat town in Maguindanao del Norte, that he is grateful to the DOTr for supporting their takeover of the LTO branches in Maguindanao and in Lanao del Sur.

“All ended well. The informal turnover rite we had also applies for the LTO-Lanao del Sur,” he said.

Tago said a team from MOTC will proceed to Marawi City this week to meet the LTO-Lanao del Sur employees whose office is now under the Bangsamoro government.