Consular office told to probe employee

The Department of Foreign Affairs has instructed its Regional Consular Office to conduct its own inquiry and make recommendations regarding one of its employee arrested for allegedly extorting money from his client.

Jackel Zulita, a staff of the Research and Investigation Group of the RCO, was arrested last July 13 by NBI agents during an entrapment operation for alleged extortion.

Based on the report of the Officer-in-Charge of the RCO-Cebu Angel Espiritu, Zulita's office investigates passport applications with discrepancies and passport irregularities, among others.

NBI operatives from Cebu and Bohol apprehended Zulita at the RCO's conference room where he usually conducts investigations on RIG cases. Found from Zulita's was the P8,000 marked money which was confiscated from him including his cellular phone. He was then brought to the NBI headquarters along with the complainant Remedios Dunlap of Calape, Bohol, whose passport he was investigating.

Reports from the RCO had it that Dunlap was having problems with her passport application that the suspect processed. Dunlap first filed her application on June 22 and was allegedly informed by Zulita that he could work on her passport application if she gave him P8,000. On July 6, Dunlap went to the NBI to ask its assistance.

Zulita's office placed him on leave until August 15, pending the conclusion of the NBI's investigation.

Based on the results of its initial investigation, the bureau will file the appropriate criminal charges against Zulita. This is aside from the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas which is also considering filing the corresponding administrative charges against Zulita.