Town clerk sued for bribery, dismissed

A REVENUE collection clerk in Malabuyoc town, Cebu will be facing trial for bribery.

The Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas found probable cause to indict Emerito Devilleres on five counts of estafa.

Devilleres, revenue collection clerk 1, was also dismissed from service for accepting bribe from taxpayers transacting business with their office.

He was accused for asking for money in exchange for the facilitation of the transfer of name of the tax declarations of the lands of the complainants.

In their complaint, Roque Tamayo, Pilar dela Pena, Alberto Devlilleres, Conrado Leorque and Renidas Leorque accused the revenue collector of demanding P40,000 from them.

Despite giving in to the demands of the revenue collector, the complainants told the Ombudsman that he still failed to deliver the services promised to them.

Demanding and receiving money from taxpayers in return for favors in government transactions, according to the Ombudsman in the Visayas, is a violation of the Revised Uniform Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service.

Devilleres did not submit his counter-affidavit despite notice from the Ombudsman.

Graft investigation and prosecution officer Llorene Grace Razo-Ompod said the evidence against Devilleres was substantial.

“When respondent was asked to return the money he received from complainants, he was not able to produce the same,” Ompod said.

Among the evidences that pinned Devilleres was the written kasabutan or agreement that the complainants submitted to the antigraft office.

She said the acts of Devilleres clearly constituted violation of the law that prohibits government workers from “receiving for personal use of a fee, gift or other valuable thing in the course of official duties in the hope or expectation of receiving a favor or better treatment than that accorded to other persons.”/Correspondent Ador Vincent Mayol