Labor employee convicted of bribery

A Cebu City trial court yesterday convicted a senior officer of the Department of Labor and Employment in Central Visayas (DOLE-7) for extorting money from a spa owner.

Wilfredo Wagas was found guilty of direct bribery and was meted with imprisonment of five to six years.

Wagas, a senior labor and employment officer of DOLE-7, was also fined P36,000 by the court.

Judge Raphael Yrastorza of the Regional Trial Court branch 14 found sufficient basis to hold the accused liable for demanding money from a businessman in lieu of dismissing a labor case filed against the latter.

Wagas was arrested in an entrapment operation at a coffee shop on May 7, 2011.

He was caught receiving money from Johnie Lim, chief executive officer of the Body and Sole Franchising Corp. and president of the Spa and Wellness Association of Cebu.

In his testimony, Lim said he appeared before Wagas on March 8, 2011 for a labor complaint filed by his employees.

After over a month, the two met at a restaurant in Cebu City. Wagas showed Lim the total computations of his supposed liabilities to his workers in the amount of P602,482.33.

Wagas told Lim that his case will be all right as long as the businessman will present “something enough”.

But Lim later felt guilty for acceding to the illegal transaction with Wagas and reported the bribery to authorities.