IT solutions provider Stradcom Corporation has formally requested Newsbytes.PH to issue a rectification and clarification over a recent article that linked the company’s legacy LTO database system to an alleged luxury car smuggling operation.
In a letter dated October 14, 2025, addressed to Melvin G. Calimag, executive editor of Newsbytes.PH, Stradcom president and CEO Anthony K. Quiambao said the report, published on October 7 and titled “Obsolete LTO system at center of Bugatti smuggling and luxury car scandal,” contained “inaccurate, misleading, and defamatory” statements that gave the false impression the company was involved in illegal activities.
In its letter, Stradcom stressed that “no government agency or investigative body has issued any finding, resolution, or report linking Stradcom Corporation, its officers, or its personnel” to the smuggling of vehicles or to any corruption case.
The company said the article’s wording unfairly suggested that Stradcom’s technology or systems were central to the reported smuggling operation, even though no verified evidence was cited to support the claim.
It particularly objected to six statements in the article that allegedly implied complicity or technological failure, including references to Stradcom’s system as “outdated,” “susceptible to manipulation,” and a “loophole” in one of the country’s “largest smuggling and corruption scandals.”
Stradcom maintained that its LTO IT System remains fully auditable and has delivered “comprehensive audit trail reports” to the LTO, Commission on Audit (COA), and other government agencies for years.
It also clarified that the continued operation of its system was due to the delayed rollout of the new LTO IT platform, which it said remains incomplete.
The firm requested that Newsbytes.PH:
- Publish a clear clarification that Stradcom has not been found or alleged by any authority to be involved in smuggling or corruption;
- Amend or qualify the cited statements to remove the impression of wrongdoing; and
- Ensure future reporting “is limited to verified facts” that reflect Stradcom’s role as a technology service provider.
Stradcom warned that the article’s language “goes beyond fair comment” and may constitute defamation under Article 353 of the Revised Penal Code and the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, though it emphasized that its appeal was made “in good faith” and “in the interest of fairness, accuracy, and responsible journalism.”
Newsbytes.PH Response
In response, Newsbytes.PH acknowledged receipt of Stradcom’s letter and said it is reviewing the company’s concerns.
The publication clarified, however, that the report in question was based on public and confidential documents from government sources and was written in good faith, in line with public interest reporting on governance and technology issues.
“Newsbytes.PH values accuracy and fairness and is open to publishing clarifications if warranted,” Mr. Calimag said. “We also stand by the integrity of our reporting, which sought to highlight systemic issues rather than attribute wrongdoing to any private entity without due basis.”
