BIR Mountain Province exec caught for extortion

BONTOC, Mountain Province –Josefino Ong, the revenue district officer of this province who is set to retire this year, could lose his retirement benefits should he be found guilty of bribery charges. Ong was indicted by the Mountain Province prosecutor’s office this week for direct bribery with no bail recommended, a week after his arrest during an entrapment operation by the police on July 24. Sr. Supt. Pedro Ganir, the provincial police director, ordered the entrapment operation following a complaint by businessman-contractor James Lingbanan that Ong demanded a P15,000 bribe in exchange for a tax clearance. Lingbanan, who is from Bauko town, said he needed a Tax Clearance Certificate to qualify for the supply of materials and equipment at the Mountain Province State Polytechnic College. The arrest of Ong, which was witnessed by local journalists, has reportedly encouraged his other alleged victims to speak up during a rally outside the Bureau of Internal Revenue district office in Bontoc. Said veteran journalist Greg Taguiba, “some were seething in rage and waiting for Ong to be escorted out from the office for them to vent their anger." Taguiba said many of those who came have been insulted by Ong’s alleged flaunting of his illegal activities and making snide remarks against natives in the past. Ong, a native of Iloilo who assumed his post in October 2006, is 64 and about to retire. Prosecutors and police said that his benefits from years of service in government could be forfeited if he is found guilty by the courts. Sr. Supt. Ganir said other alleged victims are coming out to help teach Ong a lesson. - GMANews.TV