Facade of Makati City Hall (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)
MANILA, Philippines — Three people, including two Makati City government employees, were arrested for allegedly engaging in “fixer” activities, the local government said in a statement on Tuesday.
Police said Aisheen Mana-ay, 27, Wilfreda De Leon, 59, and Merlin Balbuena, 46, were apprehended in Barangay Poblacion on Monday.
The first incident happened at 5:30 pm when authorities were tipped off by City Hall regarding illegal transaction activities of city hall employees under the city’s Business Permits and Licensing Office, according to the Makati Police.
To bust the scheme, one of the police officers pretended to be a poseur businesswoman needing assistance to process a business permit and contacted Mana-ay through text messages; she claimed that she could process the documents and asked the deep-cover police officer to pay P500.
Mana-ay was arrested in an entrapment operation, and upon interrogation, she said that she was instructed to receive the money for De Leon.
At around 7 p.m., De Leon was arrested in a follow-up operation at Makati City Hall Building 2.
Police recovered one P500 bill, 88 pieces of P1,000 entrapment money, three pieces of P500 boodle money, and a black Cherry Mobile tablet.
Meanwhile, Balbuena was arrested in a separate entrapment operation at around 7:40 pm in front of 7-Eleven on J.P. Rizal Avenue after police received information regarding fixers lurking outside the Makati City Hall Building 2.
De Leon is a regular employee as an Administrative Assistant II of the local government, while Mana-ay works at a private establishment.
Balbuena is under the Makati Health Department’s Sanitary Section under “casual status.”
The suspects face charges for violating Republic Act 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018.
Makati mayor Abby Binay said De Leon would no longer receive her benefits following her arrest. Binay also said the city does not tolerate fixers.
“The city government will not tolerate fixers. We will continue to aggressively implement our anti-red tape initiatives to ensure that all transactions with the government are done in a transparent and fair manner.
“We will continue to pursue these operations to ensure that our citizens receive the services they need without having to go through the hassle of dealing with fixers,” the local chief executive said.