The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) formed an inter-agency task force to go after law enforcers involved in “kotong" (extortion). In a news release, the DILG said it also set up an anti-kotong hotline (0918-8882749) where the public can send information about “kotong" activities. Under the hotline scheme, the public will be asked to call or send the following details through text messaging:
the date and time when the kotong incident occured; place where the incident happened; the modus operandi or manner how the extortion was committed, and identity of the perpetrators. The DILG said all anti-kotong information/reports will be treated with utmost confidentiality to protect the source. Anti-kotong task force DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo said the Inter-Agency Anti-Kotong Task Force (IAA-TF) will include agents or representatives from: DILG National Police Commission Philippine National Police LTO MMDA Department of Justice local traffic enforcers of LGUs in Metro Manila. Robredo urged transport groups to discipline their ranks and not to allow traffic enforcers to extort money from them. “On the part of the transport leaders, I urge them to cooperate in our campaign and discipline their ranks so as to prevent traffic enforcers from mulcting them," he said. During a consultation meeting in Malacañang earlier this year, transport leaders raised the following issues among their concerns: confusion in the issuance of traffic citation tickets by different agencies; illegal terminals; proliferation of colorum public utility vehicles, and extortion. Meanwhile, the DILG is preparing a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with concerned agencies on the single-ticketing system and the campaign against colorums in Metro Manila. Among the government agencies to be included in the MOA are: Land Transportation Office Metropolitan Manila Development Authority local government units in Metro Manila. Anti-kotong hotline Meanwhile, when the DILG receives through its hotline any information about extortion activities, a police officer-led IAA-TF team will conduct a discreet surveillance and gather evidences against the perpetrators. Once the team builds a tight case against the perpetrators, it will submit its recommendations on whether to file administrative or criminal cases against the culprits. A panel will evaluate the recommendation and decide whether to reprimand, transfer, and file administrative or criminal charges against PNP personnel engaged in kotong. The panel’s decision would be forwarded to the PNP chief for enforcement. For erring local traffic enforcers, their cases will be referred to the concerned action officers of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) or the local government units (LGUs) for administrative or criminal sanctions. If needed, the IAA-TF would also pursue the criminal cases of erring local traffic law enforcers. - VVP, GMA News 
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