MMDA traffic enforcer arrested for extortion
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MANILA, Philippines — A traffic enforcer of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) was arrested by authorities in Manila on Friday for extorting P10,000 from a trucking company.
MMDA traffic aide Rey Gaza, 53, assigned at the MMDA Northern Traffic Enforcement Division–Traffic Reaction Unit, was collared in a joint entrapment operation of the Regional Special Operations Group of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) and the MMDA Intelligence and Investigation Office in Port Area around 2:40 p.m.
Police seized two pieces of marked P1,000 and boodle money; a .45- caliber pistol; and a magazine with live ammunition from the suspect.
The operation stemmed from the complaint of the owner of a trucking company operating in North Harbor and Valenzuela, according to an NCRPO report.
The complainant, Salvador Jecino, claimed that Gaza and his cohorts have been collecting P10,000 in “payola” money every month since 2019 “to avoid inconvenience and to ensure the smooth operation of his trucking and transport service business.”
Gaza is now detained at the NCRPO headquarters in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City.
—DEXTER CABALZA
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