Corrupt Pasig execs, employees face jail

MANILA, Philippines — Pasig City government officials and employees would be hauled off to jail if they are caught committing unscrupulous deals, Mayor Vico Sotto warned yesterday.

He issued the warning following a slew of complaints against two city government offices over the past six months.

Addressing employees of the city assessor’s office and the office of the city building official during the flag-raising ceremony on Monday, Sotto said the city government would file charges against anyone caught extorting from residents.

Sotto said that last week, an elderly resident told the mayor’s office that he was trying to secure documents at the assessor’s office when he was asked for P80,000.

Sotto said the elderly resident refused to file charges and merely reported the incident.

He said residents have been complaining about employees from the two city government offices asking for “unreasonable” amounts of money for a simple transaction.

“For those who are doing these kinds of things, you’re playing with fire. You may not be caught the first 100 times, but don’t blame me, and tell your families not to beg for me to spare you when you are caught because I will really have you imprisoned,” Sotto warned.

Transparency, freedom of information and accountability are among the cornerstones of Sotto’s crackdown on corruption in city hall, which he said had been met with opposition from employees and officials who had grown accustomed to past practices.