NLRC exec suspended for extortion

The Office of the President has approved the 90-day preventive suspension of National Labor Relations Commissioner Victoriano Calaycay for extortion, the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC) said yesterday.

PAGC Chairman Constancia de Guzman said the preventive suspension was an affirmation of the commission’s recommendation based on its evaluation of the endorsement submitted by Labor Secretary Arturo Brion.

Calaycay was arrested in an entrapment operation conducted by operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation last Dec. 1. He was apprehended after receiving the initial payment of P200,000 from businesswoman Jocelyn Enriquez and handling it over to his co-accused, businessman Dennis Gabionza.

The operation was set after Calaycay and Gabionza, together with two lawyers Zomer Ochavillo and Augusto Hidalgo of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), allegedly demanded P400,000 from Enriquez to speed up the processing of her license to operate a recruitment agency in the Philippines.

They initially asked for a down payment of P200,000 so the POEA could start processing the papers.

Calaycay, Hidalgo and Ochavillo are now undergoing preliminary investigation by the Department of Justice and the Office of the Ombudsman while charges are also being prepared against Gabionza.

"The suspension will help the investigation team to execute a fair analysis of the case," De Guzman said. "I’d like to encourage the citizenry to come out and help us in our battle to eradicate graft and corruption among government offices."

"This case only proves a positive result in the cooperation of a vigilant citizen and the authorities," she stressed. — Paolo Romero