BACOLOD City – Show-cause orders are expected to be served to two inspectors of the Office of the Building Official (OBO) of the city government here following an extortion complaint.
Romeo Carlos Ting Jr. of the City Legal Office (CLO) will recommend to Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez the issuance of show-cause orders against two OBO inspectors.
This would also allow the mayor to order a preventive suspension against the concerned employees pending investigation, the city legal officer added.
On Tuesday, the CLO served the OBO inspectors a notice to explain following an extortion complaint alleging that they demanded on Jan. 11 the amount of P5,000 to expedite clearance approval.
The next day, Jan. 24, the two inspectors filed their responses with the office. Denying the accusation, they cited only doing their job in inspecting the establishment, Ting said.
But, Ting added, the business establishment that made the complaint has submitted surveillance camera footage showing the inspectors seemed to be receiving money.
The two, identified as regular employees of the city hall, may be found to have violated Republic Act (RA) 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, as well as RA 9485, or the Anti-Red Tape Act.
According to the city legal officer, he has heard several complaints about corruption within OBO, but none have filed a formal complaint until now.
“They were possibly afraid,” he noted.
Benitez, meanwhile, was thankful to the business owner who made the complaint.
Aside from the two OBI inspectors, also in “hot water” were two employees from the City Treasurer’s Office and the Business Permits and Licensing Office. Both were summoned on the same day by the National Bureau of Investigation for alleged involvement in issuing fake business permits.
“This development underscores the city’s commitment to upholding transparency and integrity in its administrative processes,” the mayor said./PN
