CEBU, Philippines - An official of the Department of Foreign Affairs in Region 7 and a suspected fixer were arrested during an entrapment operation for violation of the Anti-Red Tape Act.
DFA supervisor for tourism services Jay Ytang, 34, of Sitio Mabuhay, Barangay Luz and Harvey Garcia, 30, of Sitio Maharlika, Barangay Sambag II were caught on the act of facilitating the issuance of passports at the DFA office.
The operation stemmed from the request of Cynthia Tecson Ricaplaza, DFA-7 officer-in-charge, asking for police assistance because of the alleged rampant illegal activities of fixers at the Cebu consular office.
An entrapment operation was immediately hatched last Friday afternoon resulting to the arrest of Ytang and Garcia.
A female police asset pretended to be a passport applicant at 2:30 p.m. last Friday. Garcia, a former DFA employee, who sells passport plastic cover outside the DFA office, approached the police asset and offered to help her process application.
Garcia allegedly brought the asset to Ytang who served as his contact inside the DFA. The two were immediately placed under arrest after receiving the P800 marked-money handed to them by the police asset.
Garcia and Ytang both denied the charges. According to Garcia, he saw a woman who keeps on reading the writings on the bulletin board prompting him to approach her.
Garcia said he asked the woman if she is applying for a passport and told her that the DFA is only accepting individual applications in the morning because travel agencies will assist the applicants in the afternoon.
Garcia said he gave the list of accredited travel agencies to the woman. Incidentally Ytang passed by them prompting him to refer the woman to him as he owns an accredited travel agency.
Ytang claimed he explained to the woman that he charge P1,600 for the processing, half of it will be paid in advance while the other half will be collected as soon as the passport is released.
Ytang said he was surprised when the police placed them under arrest when he allegedly did nothing wrong.
Ytang and Garcia will be charged for violation of the Republic Act 9485 otherwise known as the Anti-Red Tape Act. (FREEMAN NEWS)