The group Coalition 169 has launched a campaign seeking the legal review and possible refund of an estimated P28.56 billion in computer fees collected from motorists and other Land Transportation Office (LTO) clients since 2013.
Dubbed “Refund 169,” the campaign centers on the P169.06 computer fee charged for transactions processed through the LTO information technology system operated by Stradcom Corp.
Coalition 169 main convenor Bernard Yu said during a press briefing that the campaign takes its name from the computer fee that motorists previously saw when renewing their vehicle registrations before the rollout of the Land Transportation Management System (LTMS).
“Today, we’re launching a media campaign entitled Refund 169. So, you probably understand where the 169 amount came from,” Yu said.
Yu said Coalition 169 estimated that P28.56 billion in computer fees had been collected through the Stradcom-operated system from Feb. 10, 2013 up to the present.
The group claims the collections should have stopped after the expiration of the build-own-operate agreement covering the system on Feb. 10, 2013.
“This is not an arbitrary number,” Yu said, adding that the coalition’s research team compiled figures from government documents, internal reports, and publicly available information.
According to Yu, the coalition obtained figures covering 2013 to 2016 from official records, while figures covering 2019 to 2025 amounted to about P13.3 billion based on documents reviewed by the group.
Because it did not have corresponding figures for 2017, 2018, and the full year of 2026, the coalition made estimates for those periods. Yu said the group used the 2016 figure for both 2017 and 2018 as a “conservative estimate,” while its 2026 estimate was based on eight months of the amount recorded in 2025.
“What we wanted to show you is that P28.56 billion is not an arbitrary number. It is as close to the truth as to how much was collected,” Yu said.
Yu also claimed that about P1.7 billion in computer fees remains with the government and has not yet been remitted to Stradcom.
“Unlike other refunds where the money is already with the person, the money is still with the LTO. This money is held by the government,” Yu said.
He said the coalition wants to determine whether any of the amount has been released following action taken by the Office of the Ombudsman in May.
The “Refund 169” campaign is supported by transport and civic groups including Manibela, represented by its president Mar Valbuena; FELTOP, represented by Rustico “Jun” Braga; and the MC Taxi Community, headed by Romeo Maglunsod. The coalition said TNVS, consumer, and youth groups are also supporting the initiative.
The campaign follows a graft complaint filed by Coalition 169 with the Office of the Ombudsman on May 4, 2026.
Coalition 169 spokesperson Johnny Gomez said three key issues raised in the complaint remain pending before the Ombudsman.
Among the reliefs sought by the coalition is the refund or restitution of the P169.06 computer fees collected for transactions processed through the Stradcom-operated LTO IT system from Feb. 10, 2013 until the final resolution of the case.
The coalition is also seeking the immediate suspension of the collection of the P169.06 computer fee and a halt to the turnover, remittance or release of computer fees collected through the system while the complaint remains unresolved.
The allegations remain pending before the Ombudsman, and the coalition’s claims have yet to be adjudicated.
“‘Refund 169’ is the next step in our continuing campaign for accountability, transparency, and good governance. Every Filipino deserves to know whether these collections were lawful and, if they were not, whether the public is entitled to restitution,” Gomez said.
Coalition 169 said the campaign would seek to raise public awareness about the fees and support legal remedies available to motorists and other LTO clients who may have been affected.
