Alleged fixer held for issuing fake electrical permit

CEBU, Philippines – An alleged fixer was held for a few hours at the City Hall Compact Police Station for issuing a fake electrical permit to an applicant for a Permit for Temporary Service Application.

The alleged fixer, Dundee Coquilla, 37, of Mandaue City, was later released after he gave his motorcycle to Santos Logroño as collateral for the money he allegedly demanded from Logronio to process the permit.

Logroño alleged he had given more than P10,000 to Coquilla to process the permit at City Hall, which he needs for his application for electricity at the Visayan Electric Company.

Logroño said Coquilla, whom he met last May through a relative, first asked for P7,000; P2,000; P1,000; and P500 respectively.

There were also other extra amounts, which Logroño said he no longer bothered to compute.

Logroño said Coquilla gave him the permit last June 9 but the same was not accepted by VECO, as it was not accompanied with a building permit.

Upon verification with the Office of the Building Official, Logroño said he found out that the number issued to him has already been issued to a certain Fernando Miñoza of barangay Talamban.

Coquilla, for his part, said Logroñio already knew beforehand that it was impossible for him to be given the permit due to technical deficiencies.

OBO officer-in-charge Jocelyn Ylanan said this was not the first time that fake permits made their way from their office. She said they normally refer a case like Logroño’s to the Barangay Intelligence Network and let the parties involve settle the matter on their own.

“First time ni nga iya jud ipadakop,” Ylanan said. – Ferliza C. Contratista/JMO (THE FREEMAN)