Manila gov’t official charged with bribe; graft rap under probe

A charge of bribery has been recommended for filing in court against Manila City building official Juan Capuchino after he was arrested by the police on Tuesday afternoon for allegedly accepting a P50,000 bribe from an architect and construction firm representative.

However, the inquest prosecutor set for further investigation the complaint for violation of the Antigraft and Corrupt Practices Act against Capuchino.

The city building official was accused of taking a P50,000 bribe from architect Bryan Chester Lim of One Asia Builders Construction and Cesar King Gallardo, operations manager of Hanjen Hauling Services, in exchange for the issuance of building permits.

Capuchino has been detained at the Manila Police District Custodial and Detention Section following his arrest during an entrapment operation right inside his office at city hall on Tuesday afternoon.

Inquest Division chief Jovencio Senados on Friday approved the recommendation of Assistant City Prosecutor Elen Nagtalon-Tumaliuan to file the information for bribery in the Manila Metropolitan Trial Court. Bail was set at P12,000.

The charge of violation of the Antigraft and Corrupt Practices Act, on the other hand, was set for further investigation due to “gray areas,” Senados said.

He explained that the video submitted by the police as evidence did not show whether Capuchino accepted the P50,000.  In addition, the official tested negative in an ultraviolet test, indicating that he did not touch the marked bills.

The entrapment operation was ordered by Mayor Joseph Estrada after the complainants came to him to ask for help.

Their allegations, however, were denied by Capuchino’s lawyer who claimed that the two men just wanted to get back at his client because he had filed cases against them in the past for violating the building code.