Customs employee nabbed for alleged extortion

A Bureau of Customs (BOC) employee in Biñan, Laguna was arrested in an entrapment operation around eight hours after receiving complaints against him for alleged fixing and extortion.

According to the Anti-Red Tape Authority, the suspect, whose identity was withheld, was an acting collecting officer and concurrent custodian of the BOC at the Laguna Technopark, Inc. in Biñan, Laguna.

He was arrested on Wednesday afternoon, August 4 in an entrapment operation launched by ARTA and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).

In a statement, ARTA said the agency received a complaint from a businessman handling scrap materials in the said area at around 8 a.m. on Wednesday. The complainant claimed that the Customs employee has been asking him for almost 100 percent of the tax computed for every transaction.

At around 4 p.m. the same day, elements of ARTA and the CIDG launched an entrapment operation against the suspect where he was eventually nabbed.

The suspect was turned over to the CIDG and will be facing appropriate charges in relation to the Ease of Doing Business Act.

ARTA Director-General Jeremiah Belgica congratulated the ARTA-CIDG agents for the speedy and successful entrapment operation.

"True to our commitment to the Filipino public, you will see that we are not just going after small-time fixers, but government employees and officials as well," he said.

"Through the continuous application of our snake-grab approach, we will eventually get to the body and head of the snake in the government offices," he added.

The ARTA chief also seemed glad that more people are seeking out the Authority's services in fighting red tape.

"Although ARTA has been operating undercover against fixers even after just receiving anonymous tips, we are happy that there are people who now directly come to us to file their complaints," Belgica said.

He encouraged the public to reach out and report to ARTA in case they encounter such activity to immediately address issues on red tape in the government.