Agents nab Consolacion employee in entrapment

CEBU, Philippines – An employee of the Municipality of Consolacion was arrested in an entrapment operation by the National Bureau of Investigation for allegedly demanding money to facilitate the release of the tax declaration of the lot that the complainant bought last year.

Arlene Alentor, 50, administrative aide II assigned at the Municipal Assessor’s Office, was caught in the act of taking the P7,000 marked money she demanded from Henry Montebon.

Unknown to Alentor, an NBI agent was with Montebon when he entered the municipal assessor’s office of Consolacion yesterday afternoon. NBI agent Bernard dela Cruz and Jedidah Hife positioned themselves at a vantage point to see the transaction.

Dela Cruz said Alentor immediately counted the money under her table after receiving it from Montebon. This gave the signal to the NBI agents to immediately place Alentor under arrest.

Alentor denied demanding money from Montebon claiming she was just forced to receive the money. She however did not give further statements upon her lawyer’s advice.

In his complaint, Montebon said he purchased a lot in Pulpogan I, Consolacion from Romualda Reuyan sometime in the third week of January 2008. After having made a down payment for the lot, Montebon said he went to the municipal assessor’s office to verify the ownership of the lot he bought for P160,000.

Montebon said he met Alentor at the assessor’s office and she allegedly told him that the legal owner of the lot he bought is a certain Nicolas Padillo.

According to Montebon, he confronted Reuyan about it, but the latter explained to him that the property she sold was only a part of the property owned by Padillo.

Together with a representative of Reuyan, Montebon went back to the municipal assessor’s office where he was already assured by Alentor that the property is really owned by Reuyan.

Alentor allegedly explained to him that Reuyan failed to secure a copy of the tax declaration of the property under her name because of financial constraints.

During the incident, Alentor allegedly intimated to him that if he and Reuyan could agree to give her P20,000 as processing fee, which is to be deducted from the agreed selling price, she would facilitate the immediate release of the tax declaration.

Montebon said he begged from Alentor to give him more time as he did not have enough money during that time.

On February 5, 2008 Montebon said he went back to Alentor and gave P16,000 as part of the amount she demanded.

Alentor allegedly received the amount without official receipt, but signed an acknowledgement receipt as proof that she received the money.

On March 28, 2008 Alentor reportedly called up Montebon to demand for the P4,000 balance.

Montebon said he gave the money three days later.

Montebon said he believed that the tax declaration was already under his name, but to his surprise, when he claimed it at the provincial assessor’s office it was still an old tax declaration issued in 2006.

Despite the old tax declaration, Montebon said he continued paying Reuyan the agreed selling price.

Montebon said he made several follow-ups at the municipal assessor in Consolacion for his new tax declaration.

However, sometime in the last week of May, Alentor allegedly asked for another P7,000 on top of the P20,000 she already received allegedly for the processing fee of the transfer of the tax declaration.

But, Montebon was already hesitant and suspicious prompting him to seek the NBI’s assistance. — Fred P. Languido/NLQ (THE FREEMAN)