Bureau of Immigration brass sue Castro

CEBU, Philippines - Criminal and administrative charges were filed before the Office of the Ombudsman Visayas against controversial prosecutor Mary Ann Castro yesterday for alleged extortion and harassment.

Immigration regional director Casimiro Madarang III and Fernando San Ramon, Jr., president of the Cebu Immigration Officers Association Inc. accused Castro of violations of Republic Act 3019 otherwise known as the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, direct bribery in violation of the Article 210 of the Revised Penal Code and extortion.

Castro, who was detailed at the Bureau of Immigration and was designated as hearing officer of the Board of Special Inquiry, was allegedly demanding overtime pay from the airport even if she is not entitled such.

Since her detail at the BID, Castro was allegedly throwing her weight around, dropping the name of Secretary Raul Gonzales and even president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, whom she claimed to be her “ninang.”

Castro was reportedly bragging that she was responsible for the suspension of one immigration officer.

Madarang and San Ramon claimed that Castro has been “extorting money from foreigners as acceptance fee and extorting immigration officers of their allowances and pay under her usual threat of complaints and litigations which could obviously harass, vex, and cause inconvenience, both financial and emotional and disturbance of works and functions.”

The complainants quoted Castro’s alleged text messages demanding for overtime allowance from the airport.

San Ramon said he declined to give Castro a share of their overtime from the airline companies, because she is not entitled to it and that the amount is equally shared among the members of their organization.

On top of the P20,000 monthly allowance that Castro wanted to collect as her share of the overtime pay from the airport, she is reportedly already receiving P55,000 a month from the boarding section, intelligence section and from foreigners.

Castro denied the accusations and vowed to file a string of criminal cases against Madarang and San Ramon. In fact, she started filing two counts of libel against Madarang yesterday before the Mandaue City Prosecutor’s Office.

The complaint stemmed from Madarang’s statement which saw print and broadcast over local television newscast saying that Castro is the “number one problem of the bureau, the only problem in our office.”

Two of Castro’s colleagues, prosecutors William Canta and Vicente Mañalac, executed an affidavit to deny the alleged extortion.

In their affidavit, Canta and Mañalac said that on March 17 they met with San Ramon at the Mactan Airport. The meeting was allegedly conducted in a very “polite and proper manner where they discussed matters on schedule of assignment.”

However, they were surprised to see on television and read on the newspaper about the alleged demand of money.

Castro said that Madarang’s declaration of war against her opened the flood-gate of criminal cases that she will be filing against him. She said another criminal case for perjury and malicious prosecution will be filed today against Madarang.

Castro also vowed to file grave threats against Madarang because the latter was allegedly heard threatening to have her killed.

“He was heard saying nga iya kuno kong ihawon,” Castro said.

Castro said she already had it entered in the blotter of the Mandaue City Police Office.

“I assure you Mr. Madarang, I will be your worst nightmare,” Castro said.

Castro advised Madarang to stop acting like a lawyer. “Don’t try to be a lawyer coz you are not.” – Fred P. Languido/NLQ (THE FREEMAN)