THE National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said that a ranking official of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in an entrapment operation in Cebu City after he was accused of demanding a huge sum as “pasasalamat” from a fire safety officer applicant.
The NBI-Central Visayas Regional Office (NBI-CEVRO) identified him as Insp. Roy Sangueza Mat. Castro, Chief of the Fire Safety Enforcement Section of the BFP.
Castro is now facing charges for violation of Section 3 of Republic Act No. 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act); Direct Bribery under Article 310 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC), as amended; and Grave Misconduct under R.A. 6713 (Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees).
The operation stemmed from a complaint filed against him before the office of NBI-CEVRO by Rochelle Olinan Quimbo, who is an applicant for Fire Safety Officer 1 with the BFP.
Castro allegedly demanded P400,000 from the complainant in exchange for including her name in the final listing for oath-taking as Fire Safety Officer.
The complainant claimed that Castro had been pressuring her to pay the sum as “pasasalamat” to the higher-ups after she passed all the application processes and was included in the final list for oath-taking.
On June 27, 2024, in an establishment in Cebu City, Castro was arrested after receiving a payment of P200,000 from the complainant.
