Two Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) traffic enforcers were arrested on Saturday afternoon in Marikina City for allegedly extorting P6,000 from two operators whose jeepneys were not covered by the required documents.
Senior Superintendent Gabriel Lopez, Marikina Police chief, said that after they received the money from the operators whose jeepneys they apprehended on Marcos Highway on October 25, the two enforcers—identified as Vincent Ravago and Jovy Pagulayan—even asked each operator to make additional payments of P3,000 on a weekly basis.
According to Ravago and Pagulayan, the money would make them look the other way and the operators could go on with their business even if they did not have the necessary documents for their passenger jeepneys.
“The operators and the suspects made an arrangement to meet on Shoe Avenue (on Saturday) to make the next payment. Before the meeting, though, the operators coordinated with us,” Lopez told the Inquirer.
Ravago and Pagulayan were nabbed by police operatives at around 4 p.m. and are now detained at the Marikina City Police headquarters.
When asked if this was the first time the two enforcers had extorted money from public utility jeepney operators, Lopez said it was difficult to say if this was the case.
“But what they did was wrong, obviously. If there was a violation, they should have just given a ticket and should not have asked for money,” he added.
Charges of robbery extortion have been filed against the two enforcers.