DoF sues customs clerk

The antigraft body of the Department of Finance (DoF) has filed charges against a Porsche-driving customs clerk who was accused of beating up a student and firing shots at him during a traffic altercation last month.

In a complaint it filed with the Office of the Ombudsman last week, the Revenue Integrity Protection Service (RIPS) charged Paulino C. Elevado IV

—a messenger of the Bureau of Customs (BoC)—with administrative and criminal charges for owning assets that he could not have amassed through his salary and which were not listed in his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN).

Police records showed that Elevado punched a student driving a Toyota Innova after the latter bumped his Porsche on the South Luzon Expressway on January 21. He also fired shots at the 20-year-old student’s vehicle when the latter drove away.

Elevado was subsequently charged him with frustrated murder and physical injuries. The police also revoked his gun license.

“Plainly, respondent’s ruthless demeanor… betrays his propensity to be a self-aggrandizing person who suffers from lack of consideration for other people which should not at all be countenanced,” RIPS said.

Citing the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, RIPS noted that “every public officer and employee shall at all times respect the rights of others and shall refrain from doing acts contrary to law, good morals, good customs, public policy, public order, public safety and public interest.”

Citing the BoC service record, RIPS said Elevado’s present salary as a messenger is P115,752, or only P9,646 a month, “which is grossly disproportionate to the aggregate costs of his varied investments in his other personal assets such as jewelry and furniture and fixtures.”

According to RIPS, Elevado has been maintaining two private residences in BF Homes and BF Resort, both in Las Piñas City. “However, in his sworn (SALN), Elevado did not account for any real property at all,” it said.

RIPS added that while Elevado stated in his 2003 SALN that he bought a Volvo “for only P400,000…, its cost surprisingly increased by an additional P50,000 as gleaned from his SALN for 2004, 2005 and 2006.

Similarly, Elevado stated in his SALN for 2007 to 2009 that he owned an unidentified “motor vehicle” worth P525,500 although its value was jacked up to P700,000 in his 2010 SALN.