Ex-mayor admits tipping BOC on guard’s wealth

Former Pasig City Mayor Mario Raymundo has surfaced to admit that he is the informant who tipped anti-graft investigators to look into the lavish lifestyle of Raul Enriquez, the security guard assigned at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport office of the Bureau of Customs.

In an interview at his Ortigas building office yesterday, Raymundo said he and Enriquez have been buddies and it was the former mayor who had recommended Enriquez to then Customs chief Salvador Mison in 1986 to work as a casual employee. When his six-month contract ended, Raymundo said Enriquez again sought his intercession and this time Enriquez became a permanent employee of the Bureau of Customs.

"We were close friends. Ako ang nagpasok sa kanya sa Customs. Ang sabi ko lang sa kanya (Enriquez) ay wag siyang gagawa ng kalokohan," Raymundo said.

However, their friendship was strained six years ago when some common friends told Raymundo that they have seen Enriquez flaunting his riches.

"I told him to stop but he did not listen so I asked the National Bureau of Investigation to check on him," he said.

Raymundo said he was surprised to learn that Enriquez was now detailed at the NAIA working as a security officer. According to Raymundo, Enriquez did not only perform security tasks, he was also involved in the handling of importers’ documents.

After the Revenue Integrity and Protection Service (RIPS) of the Department of Finance filed graft charges against Enriquez before the Office of the Ombudsman, Raymundo said some common friends of theirs have tried to patch up their differences.

"But it is too late now, the charges have been filed," Raymundo said.

Recently, Raymundo said he has been the target of harassment by a friend he shares with Enriquez. This friend, he said, had sent him an angry text message after he tried to reach the media and expose more of Enriquez’s activities.

According to an investigation conducted by the DOF-RIPS, Enriquez, a Customs Security Guard 2, had managed to purchase a 379 square meter property at Parkwood Greens Executive Village in Maybunga, Pasig City; another 300 square meter property also in the same subdivision and a 216 square meter property also in the same posh subdivision valued to be at least P2 million.

The real estate properties were registered with the Land Registration Authority under the names of "Ma. Victoria Enriquez and Raul Enriquez" the DOF said. According to Raymundo, the name of Enriquez’s wife is Maria Victoria.

The DOF-RIPS also said Enriquez also owns a two-storey mansion at Washington Street, Parkwood Greens Executive Village in 1999 with an estimated market value of P1.4 million. Enriquez also bought a house and lot located at 9 M.H. del Pilar Street in San Nicolas, Pasig City but it was not included in his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs) from 1987 to 1999.

Investigation by RIPS probers also showed that Enriquez also bought a 2005 Ford Escape and a 2000 Toyota Corolla. The Ford Escape was registered with the Land Transportation Office under the name of "Raul J. Enriquez" while the Toyota Corolla sedan was registered under the names of "Raul J. Enriquez" and "Ma. Victoria Enriquez."

According to lawyer Romeo Tomas of the DOF-RIPS, an investigation was conducted on Enriquez by RIPS agents after they were tipped-off by a walk-in informant about the security guard’s unexplained wealth.

Tomas said that as Customs Security Guard 2, Enriquez only receives a monthly salary of P100,500 per year, or about P8,000 a month.