MANILA, Philippines—The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) has filed a grave misconduct complaint against Meycauayan City Mayor Henry Villarica before the Office of the Ombudsman over the alleged illegal collection of pass-through fees in violation of an executive order issued by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
ARTA Secretary Ernesto Perez said the agency has also sought for Villarica’s preventive suspension while a preliminary investigation determines if the case should proceed to the anti-graft court – the Sandiganbayan.
On Tuesday, Perez told The Manila Times in an interview via Viber that Villarica, who is a lawyer, was the lone respondent in the complaint for the “direct violation” of Executive Order 41 which prohibits the collection of pass-through fees on national roads.
“This executive order mandates the removal of all local government unit (LGU) pass-through fees for goods-carrying vehicles on national roads. This is a measure designed to lower consumer prices by reducing transport costs and ensuring a more competitive logistics sector,” Perez explained.
He said Villarica reportedly ignored multiple warnings from both ARTA and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to halt the implementation of a city measure called the “Truck Ban Ordinance.” “While it was intended to manage traffic by restricting heavy cargo trucks, its fee-collection component ran afoul of national law,” said Perez, also a lawyer.
Despite an ARTA legal opinion issued in August 2024 and a formal request for review from the ARTA secretary, the city government persisted in collecting these fees in open defiance of national directives, the agency said.
The ARTA chief noted that the city government continued imposing the ₱1,000 per-month exemption fee despite repeated inter-agency findings. This exemption even forms part of Meycauayan’s 2025 Citizen’s Charter.
Perez cited a DILG opinion issued in 2025 which stated that the Meycauayan City ordinance ran contrary to the national mandates of the executive order which was issued by Marcos in 2023.
The investigation was further bolstered by field validations which uncovered specific evidence of unauthorized collections, ARTA said.
Perez stressed that ARTA decided to elevate the case to the anti-graft office following the discovery of ‘prima facie’ evidence to support the formal filing of charges against Villarica.
