Marikina engineering employees suspended

The Office of the Ombudsman on Monday disclosed that it has ordered the suspension of seven Marikina City Engineering Department personnel for up to six months over alleged solicitation of bribes in exchange for issuance of a building permit.

In the order dated 6 June 2024, the Ombudsman meted the suspension to Kenny Sueno, Romeo Gutierrez Jr., Marlito Poquiz, Alex Copreros, Mark de Joya, Abigail Joy Santiago aka Abby Salvador and Manuel Santos.

It added that it has found sufficient grounds for the issuance of an Order for Preventive Suspension against respondents Sueno, Gutierrez Jr., Poquiz, Copreros, de Joya, Santiago and Santos, considering that there is strong evidence showing their guilt; the charges against them for Grave Misconduct and Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of the Service may warrant their removal from the service.

The suspension was in relation to the administrative complaint filed by couple Brian and Agnes Torres, accusing the seven officials of the Marikina City Engineering Department of soliciting bribes to fast-track the processing and approval of their building and occupancy permits.

Records showed that the couple applied for a permit for the construction of their house at the Marikina City Engineering Office in August 2021 but encountered numerous obstacles during the approval process, prompting them to pay P430,000 due to the alleged pressure from the city engineering staff.

Despite shelling out the amount, the subject permit, however, was not released by the engineering department.

The couple was also said to have paid P100,000 as a token for Sueno, while Santiago, the latter’s assistant, requested that “Starbucks” expedite the processing of documents on his boss’ desk.

According to the Ombudsman, the evidence on record shows the respondents’ participation “pertaining to the promise to fast track the processing and approval of complainants’ building and occupancy permits in exchange for monetary consideration, and abuse of power and other retaliatory tactics committed by respondents against complainants pertaining to said permits.”