A costly bribe

An official of a jeepney association in Pasig City was hauled off to jail after he tried to bribe a traffic policeman who arrested several drivers picking up passengers at an illegal terminal in the city over the weekend.

Nerie Napay, 37, president of the Sta. Lucia-Tanay Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association and resident of Kalusugan street, Barangay Karangalan Village, Cainta, Rizal was charged with corruption of a public official before the Pasig City prosecutor’s office.

Investigation showed that PO2 Raul Telan, detailed at the Eastern Traffic Enforcement Group, noticed several passenger jeepneys waiting for passengers along the busy Marcos Highway in front of Sta. Lucia Mall in Pasig at around 8:30 p.m. last Oct. 18.

Telan approached the drivers, informed them of their violation and asked them to hand over their driver’s license.

While Telan was about to issue traffic violation receipts, the suspect approached the officer and offered P300 in exchange for ignoring the violation. The suspect also promised to give him weekly grease money, Telan said in his complaint.

Instead of accepting the bribe, Telan pushed through with the arrest and brought the suspect to the police station.

Napay admitted his crime and is now detained at the EPD-Criminal Investigation Unit pending his transfer to the Pasig City jail. – Non Alquitran