AT least 28 “fixers” in different government offices have been arrested by the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) as of end June, the agency’s Undersecretary for Operations and Officer-in-Charge Ernesto Perez said Saturday night.
Perez, in an interview with radio DZBB, said at least 20 entrapment operations had been conducted by ARTA with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) as of end June which led to the arrest of 28 persons.
He said many of the “fixers” they caught were involved in illegal activities at the Land Transportation Office (LTO).
He said at least two of the 28 have been penalized while the rest are facing cases pending in court or the prosecutors’ office. He did not identify them, however.
Meanwhile, a fire safety inspector from the Bureau Fire Protection (BFP) was arrested in an entrapment operation in Quezon City by a combined team of ARTA and the CIDG for overpricing the fire safety certificate of a company.
Perez said a Quezon City-based company filed a complaint against the officer, whom he did not name pending investigations, after the latter sought P10,000 in exchange for the release of the Fire Safety certificate.
It was discovered that the warehouse of the private firm, which was also not named, violated some requirements like not having fire exits. The violation has been going for years but they obtained safety fire safety certificates in the past in exchange for certain amounts.
Perez said the complainant found the current asking price too high and opted to report the official to ARTA.
He said that in setting up the entrapment operation, the P10,000 fee was renegotiated and lowered to P5,000.
The operation was held at Biak-na-Bato corner Maria Clara Streets in Quezon City last June 27. During the exchange, the fire officer was arrested after receiving the marked money. Perez said it was the first time that they arrested someone from BFP.
The officer is currently under the custody of the CIDG-Quezon City District Field Unit for inquest proceedings and possible filing of cases for violation of Republic Act No. 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018.
He said under the law, fixers and those who collude with them will be slapped with one to six years of imprisonment and a fine of up to P2 million. First time violators also face administrative liability with six months suspension while those found to be colluding with fixers are slapped with penalties under the second or succeeding offenses, which include administrative liability and criminal liability of dismissal from the service, perpetual disqualification from holding public office, and forfeiture of retirement benefits.
