NAIA Customs police relieved after extort complaint by Japanese coeds

Two Customs policemen were ordered relieved after they extorted money from a large group of young Japanese university students who arrived in Manila for a two-week study tour of the country last Wednesday at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Centennial Terminal.

Major Elpidio Manuel, Bureau of Customs-NAIA chief of police, identified the erring Customs policemen as Joel Vargas and Danny Pebeanco, both assigned at the NAIA Centennial Terminal international arrival area.

Vargas and Pebeaco were tagged by a group of 17 Japanese students from the University of Meiji Gakuin, who arrived at the said terminal at around 1:20 p.m. on Nov. 1 via Philippine Airlines flight PR 431 from Narita, Japan, as the airport officers who approached them and asked them for a Y1,000 "airport fee" each.

Despite being surprised and doubtful of the fee being collected, the foreign students started to hand over the said amount to the Customs police officer reluctantly until about six of them had handed over the cash.

Fortunately for them, their chaperon in the Philippine study tour, their British professor Tom Gill, returned from looking for a Filipino fellow faculty member in the University of Meiji Gakuin, Rey Ventura, in the waiting area outside the terminal before all of them could give the Customs policemen the "airport fee". Ventura told The Star that it was he who urged the students to include the Philippines in a study tour of three nations in the world that is a requisite in their course.

Gill, upon being told by his charges of the collection of the airport officers of the dubious fee, immediately looked for Vargas and Pebeanco, questioning them about the supposed fee they collected from the students.

Ventura said that Gill was angered when the two denied collecting the fee. In the ensuing commotion, NAIA Terminal II Customs police officer-in-charge Joselito Franco was called to talk to Gill. Franco said that upon learning of his men’s actions, he immediately berated them.

"I berated them right in front of Gill which appeased Gill," Franco told The Star. Franco said that he also promised Gill that the two erring policemen will be dealt with severely for the incident. Franco’s superior, Manuel for his part, said that he had already ordered the relief of Vargas and Pebeanco.

"We do not tolerate such acts," Manuel said. He said that the relief of the two would have to wait until Monday since the Customs police was undermanned.

"They would be officially relieved from their posts on Monday because tomorrow (Friday) will be the end of their shift at Terminal II and no one will replace them because we are undermanned right now," Manuel said in an interview Thursday night.