‘Resign now,’ Speaker tells 2 BI execs in extort case

House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez. RICHARD A. REYES/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA — Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez on Tuesday called on two immigration officials caught on camera receiving cash bribes amounting to P48 million to resign voluntarily to “spare President Duterte the embarrassment” of firing them.

Asked whether Congress should investigate the extortion controversy involving Associate Commissioners Al Argosino and Michael Robles, the House leader said it would be better if they resigned on their own.

“I hope they will just resign on their own to spare the President the embarrassment,” he told reporters in a chance interview.

“It’s hard to deny because they were caught on video,” Alvarez said of the two officials who allegedly received bribes from a former policeman with links to Macau-based online gaming tycoon Jack Lam.

On Tuesday, Argosino and Robles denied the allegations, saying they received the money as part of a continuing investigation of corruption in the Bureau of Investigation.  SFM