Manila vendors expose new village chief for ‘kotong’

Way to go for a first-termer. A newly elected barangay (village) chair in Manila was arrested in an entrapment operation for allegedly asking about 10 vendors to cough up P15,000 each in exchange for the release of a document they needed to secure a permit from City Hall.

The official was later released, however, after the vendors decided not to press charges.

Richmond Liu, 37, of Barangay 285 Zone 26 in Binondo, was presented to Mayor Joseph Estrada Tuesday night by Chief Inspector Bernabe Irinco Jr., head of the Manila City Hall Action and Support Assignment (Masa).

A group of fruit vendors who wanted to occupy a space outside P. Guevarra Elementary School on San Fernando Street, Binondo, earlier filed a complaint against Liu and sought the help of the Masa office.

In an interview Wednesday, Irinco said the vendors were asking Liu for a barangay certification, a prerequisite to secure a special permit from City Hall. Such certifications are given free of charge, he said.

Quoting the complainants, Irinco said they also resented the way Liu demanded an amount that they could not easily recover in 10 days (Dec. 20-30), the period covered by the permit they were seeking.

The chair allegedly told them that “if you can’t pay, then don’t set up your stores here,” the Masa chief said.

The police prepared marked money and set a trap which resulted in Liu’s arrest inside his barangay hall around 2 p.m. Tuesday.

After seeing Liu Tuesday night, Estrada told the vendors to just pay the correct fees for their permit and allowed them to use the area outside the school until January 6.

The complainants on Wednesday filed statements saying they would no longer press charges against Liu. “They will give him a chance to change,” Irinco said, citing the vendors’ reason for withdrawing their complaint.

According to Irinco, Estrada also “forgave” Liu after learning that the vendors had forgiven him, though the mayor wondered why they still decided to pull back just when he was already helping them fight “kotong” or extortion.

Liu, who refused to answer questions from the media, was released from police custody Wednesday afternoon.

The barangay chair had just begun his first term after winning in the October elections, Irinco noted.