Manila City Hall exec caught for extortion

The city building official of Manila has been arrested by the police after he reportedly received P50,000 from an architect and representative of a construction firm applying for building permits.

Engineer Juan Capuchino underwent inquest proceedings on Wednesday for direct bribery and corrupt practices of public officers (Section 3 of Republic Act No. 3019) based on the complaint of architect Bryan Chester Lim and Cesar Gallardo of One Asia Builders Construction.

Capuchino was arrested around 3 p.m. on Tuesday inside his office at the Manila City Hall during an entrapment operation conducted by the Manila Police District (MPD) in coordination with the Manila City Hall Action and Special Assignment.

Estrada informed

Case investigator SPO3 Antonio Marcos said the complainants had reported to Mayor Joseph Estrada that Capuchino had been asking them for money for the issuance of their building permits. Estrada then referred the case to the police.

Chief Insp. Dennis Wagas, chief of the MPD’s District Legal Office which conducted the entrapment operation, said that he was told by the complainants that they have had previous transactions with the city building official.

However, George King, Capuchino’s lawyer, told the Inquirer that the complainants merely wanted to get back at his client.

“The office of the city building official has previously filed cases against the complainants for violation of the building code. It is the position of engineer Capuchino that the action taken by complainant[s] was somehow retaliatory.”

During the entrapment operation, Lim met with Capuchino at his office in city hall. After Lim placed on the building official’s table an envelope which contained P50,000 in marked bills, he left.

At this point, the police came in and found the envelope on top of a cabinet under Capuchino’s table.

No proof

For his part, Capuchino’s lawyer said the video of the entrapment operation submitted by the police did not show his client touching the envelope. He also claimed that the complainants were tricked by a man who promised them that he would be able to get their building permits approved.

“Architect Lim went to see engineer Capuchino [to seek] his help because Capuchino noted so many violations of the national building code. If there was really such a deal, there should be previous discussions leading to an agreement. No such communication took place because the complainant was talking to a certain ‘Monte,’” he added.

Monte, according to the lawyer, told the complainants that he could facilitate the approval of their building permits.

“It is our position that there was no valid entrapment because scientific evidence do not favor that,” he said, citing the video and the supposed results of an ultraviolet test which showed that his client never touched the envelope containing the marked bills.

Suspect faces suspension

Estrada, meanwhile, said he would not tolerate any corruption in the city hall as he announced that he would suspend Capuchino.

“I ordered the police to arrest him in an entrapment. I’m the one whose reputation is being tarnished. They say that I’m the one asking for money; they’re destroying my name,” Estrada told the Inquirer.

“We want to be business-friendly and attract investors but look at what they’re doing,” he said, adding, “We will clean up city hall.”