Porsche-driving Customs clerk probed

MANILA, Philippines—A clerk of the Bureau of Customs is in hot water after beating up a student following a recent traffic altercation along the Southern Luzon Expressway while driving a white Porsche.

Customs Chief Ruffy Biazon has given the erring BOC employee, identified as Paulino Elevado, until Tuesday to report to him personally.

If Elevado fails to appear on Tuesday, he will be declared absent without leave, which can result in his dismissal and the forfeiture of his benefits.

“I will give him until Tuesday and if he fails to appear, we would initiate the proceedings for declaring him Awol,” Biazon told reporters Friday.

The Customs chief said Elevado needed to shed light on the incident that occurred on Southern Luzon Expressway, where the latter allegedly beat up a student following a traffic altercation. But Elevado has not been reporting to work since Jan. 23 or 24, following the incident, said Biazon.

Elevado will be in deeper trouble if investigation shows that he owns the Porsche he was driving during the incident.

Biazon on Friday wondered how Elevado, who has been working at the BOC as an administrative aide for roughly a decade with a monthly income of over P9,000, could afford a luxury vehicle.

“I pulled out his records … his SALN (statement of assets, liabilities and net worth) is clean, which means there is little entry. That’s why I am doubting how he can have a Porsche, although it was registered under a different person,” he told reporters.