LTO summons 'BGC Boys' over use of alleged fake driver's licenses to enter casinos
The Land Transportation Office has summoned two engineers from the Department of Public Works and Highways who belong to the "BGC Boys" or Bulacan Group of Contractors over the use of alleged fake driver's licenses to enter casinos.
This came after Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez immediately tasked the agency to verify the authenticity of the driver's licenses following the revelation presented in the ongoing Senate investigation on flood control projects.
Per its investigation, there are no licenses issued under the names of Marvin Santos De Guzman and Joseph Castro Villegas, the aliases allegedly used by Bulacan OIC District Engineer Brice Ericson Hernandez and sacked DPWH Region 4A OIC assistant regional director and ex-Bulacan district engineer Henry Alcantara, respectively.
Other BGC Boys include Assistant District Engineer Jaypee Mendoza, using the alias Peejay Asuncion; DPWH Engineer II Arjay Domasig, introducing himself as a SYMS Trading Corp. contractor using the alias Sandro Bernardo Park; and Edrick San Diego.
LTO chief Atty. Vigor Mendoza II stated in a press briefing on Wednesday, Sept 10, that the engineers involved in the BGC incident have been issued a show cause order and will undergo a hearing on Sept 12.
Mendoza said the men will face charges for "false identification and using falsified documents," adding that the LTO's priority is to trace the source of the fake documents.
"More importantly, we'd like to know yung root, saan galing 'to. We'd like to trace back, we'd like to investigate it even deeper para ma-identify 'yung source of the fake documents, gusto po namin makita 'yan," Mendoza said.
If found guilty, the engineers could have their licenses revoked, be perpetually disqualified from obtaining a license, and face criminal charges with possible imprisonment for using falsified documents.
Mendoza clarified that while revoking their authentic license is the minimum penalty, the most severe sanction would be a criminal conviction.
"Kailangan namin kunin ‘yung actual na pineke nila for falsification. Pero use of falsified documents, doon sila pwede makulong," Mendoza added.
On Tuesday, Sept 9, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo "Ping" M. Lacson detailed the casino escapades of BGC Boys during his second privilege speech on the corruption behind anomalous flood control projects.
He said that the BGC Boys used aliases to enter and gamble away millions of pesos in taxpayers' money.
Lacson also pointed out that the five used "valid" identification cards, like driver's licenses from the LTO.
Citing documents his office gathered, Lacson said the five incurred P950 million in gross losses while gambling in 13 casinos in Metro Manila, Cebu, and Pampanga.
The use of fake driver's licenses is illegal under Section 31, Article II of R.A. 4136, as it outlaws the creation, use, or possession of licenses that imitate those officially issued by the LTO.