The Anti-Jaywalking Unit of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority is now under investigation following the discovery of fake receipts being issued to jaywalkers last Monday.
The modus operandi, according to MMDA spokesperson Celine Pialago, was discovered when a pregnant woman did not pay on the sixth floor of MMDA building on EDSA in Makati City where jaywalking violators were supposed to pay their fines.
“A pregnant woman went immediately to the sixth floor, but the process is to go first on the seventh floor so that she can get a confirmation. She was told by a personnel on the sixth to go first on the seventh floor then return to them with confirmation so she could settle her fine,” she narrated.
“But the pregnant woman did not return. So the personnel wondered. When they saw her, she told them that she already paid on the seventh floor and showed them a fake receipt,” Pialago continued.
The personnel from the sixth floor, Pialago said, immediately reported the incident to General Manager Jose Arturo Garcia so he asked the unit about the incident.
Unit staff Jonathan Natividad and Frederick Arucan were alarmed and were reportedly seen leaving in a hurry with some documents. “They were seen leaving in a hurry. We believe that the documents they took were pieces of evidence to their modus operandi,” the MMDA spokesperson said.
Joanna Eclarinal, 34, the unit’s deputy for operations, was apprehended is now detained at the Makati police headquarters detention cell.
Natividad and Arucan are now being hunted. Eclarinal admitted to Garcia about the falsification, Pialago said.
The agency has sought the help of the National Bureau of Investigation about the matter and conduct a deeper probe.
Garcia said they halted the MMDA anti-jaywalking campaign pending investigation.
The 48 other personnel of the unit were placed under floating status because of the discovery of the modus operandi. Pialago said all of them are now being questioned.
Salvador Galang, head of the unit, said that he has nothing to do with the illegal operation of his men. “Walang talaga akong alam. After 2 p.m., exit na ako. Siguro after my exit, 2 p.m., dun sila gumagalaw. Matagal na mga tao. Wala talaga. Nga-nga, blanko,” he said. (Jel Santos)