QC court sends 2 women to jail for bribery

MANILA, Philippinrd - For trying to bribe operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, a Quezon City court has sentenced two women  to a year in jail.

Judge Ralph Lee of the QC Regional Trial Court branch 83 found Judy Gonzaga and Menchie Bermil of the charges of  Attempted Corruption of Public Official for trying to bribe PDEA agents in exchange for the immediate release of their relatives arrested for drug pushing.

PDEA director general Arturo Cacdac Jr. said he is satisfied with the decision of the court the two women after almost two years of trial.

Cacdac said Gonzaga and Bermil have manifested to the court to change their pleas of not guilty and entered into a voluntary guilty plea for the crime of lesser offense of attempted corruption of public official.

The two women were arrested on July 24, 2011by operatives of PDEA Special Enforcement Service for violation of Article 212, of the Revised Penal Code  (Corruption of Public Officer).

"PDEA agents turned down a bribe of P480,000 by the two accused in exchange for the release of their relatives, Saber Hayatuddin and Arbiya Uyag, both detained for drug-related offenses," Cacdac said.

Hayatuddin and Uyag were arrested in a buy-bust operation after they sold four sachets of methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu, to a poseur-buyer along Misamis Street, Sto. Cristo, Bago Bantay, Quezon City.