By Mae Singuay

Four employees of the Bacolod City government were under investigation for alleged extortion and fake business permits.

Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said the City Legal Office (CLO) served notices to explain against two building inspectors from the Office of the Building Official (OBO) for alleged extortion.

The CLO received a complaint stating that the employees allegedly demanded P5,000 to expedite the release of the OBO clearance on January 11, Benitez said.

The personnel were required to respond within three days.

Meanwhile, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) conducts probe on two city government employees from the City Treasurer’s Office and the Business Permits and Licensing Office for alleged issuance of fake business permits.

The two employees received the subpoenas on Tuesday, January 23.

Benitez said the city government sought NBI’s intervention to ensure a thorough and impartial examination of the matter.

This development underscores their commitment to upholding transparency and integrity in its administrative processes.

“We want to find out sin-o ‘ni ang naga-fake sang business permit kay basi syndicate na sila. They might be involved in business syndicate of scamming ang aton taxpayers,” he said.

He said the employees who will be proven guilty will be dismissed from service./MS, WDJ