Fiscal recommends filing of charges vs insurance agent

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office have recommended the filing of two criminal charges against an insurance agent for allegedly trying to intimidate and coerce the chief of the Operations Division of the Land Transportation Office-7 to commit an act that is illegal and against his will.

Prosecutor I Ruso Zaragosa in his four-page Resolution that was approved by City Prosecutor Nicolas Sellon recommended that Rogelio Caballes be charged in court for light coercion and corruption of public official.

LTO chief of Operations Division Aden Belza, through his legal counsel, Vicente E. Fernandez II filed a complaint last October 21, 2010 against Caballes after he received a letter demand from him dated October 13, 2010.

 Caballes reportedly demanded to Belza to upload within five days from receipt the registration papers of a certain Aristotle Tuñacao and Jonathan Inso to just return the P1,000 which was allegedly given to Belza through a certain Rolando Bruce of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board.

 The P1,000 is reportedly in consideration for the uploading of the registration papers.

 Belza inquired with LTFRB as he does not know anybody mentioned in the letter and was told that Bruce is not an employee of LTFRB but a fixer. Belza also learned that Caballes is an insurance agent who helps clients facilitates speedy completion of transaction in government offices for a fee.

 Belza said Caballes faulted him for his refusal to upload the registration paper since it can only be done in Manila as per Memorandum Circular AOI 2009-1239 and no longer feasible in Cebu.

 Prosecutor Zaragosa stated that Caballes can be charged for crime of corruption of public official as he admitted he gave P1,000 to Belza through Bruce and in fact even bragged that he was able to upload registration papers from his other clients in other LTO offices in Cebu despite the existence and effectivity of such memorandum.

 Zaragosa, in his Resolution, explained the letter of Caballes speaks for itself that Belza was intimidated for possible filing of case/s if he would not fulfill the promise of uploading the registration papers within five days from receipt of the letter.

 “Said letter serves no other purpose than to coerce the complainant to do something illegal and against his will,” the Resolution further reads. —(FREEMAN)