THE Office of the Ombudsman suspended a commissioner of the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) for allegedly demanding a monthly “commission” of P42,800 from a businessman and for failing to remit over P700,000 in professional fees that he had collected.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales ordered the preventive suspension of Alfredo Po for six months without pay after finding strong evidence of his guilt in both cases.

Po was charged with bribery by Ernesto de los Santos, owner of the CTLL Building in Baguio City that the Regulatory commission wanted to lease. Po was caught red-handed on December 5, right in his office in an entrapment operation by the National Bureau of Investigation.

De los Santos claimed that Po demanded a one-time broker’s commission of P394,000 and a monthly commission of P42,800 because he was responsible for the approval of the lease contract and the release of advance rental worth P785,000. He sought the Investigation bureau’s help when Po demanded that the “monthly commission” be delivered at the PRC.

The P84,000 given by de los Santos equivalent to a two-month commission was on top of Po’s desk when the Investigation bureau’s agents came in and arrested Po.

The second complaint against Po was filed by a group of mechanical engineers in 2006 when he was still chairman of the Board of Mechanical Engineers. All who passed the November 2005 and May 2006 mechanical engineering board examination were asked to pay their membership fee for the Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers (PSME) during their oath-taking ceremonies.

Po directed all PSME collections, of some P728,539.59, to be turned over to him “but the same remained unaccounted [and] unremitted to the Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers.”

PRC Chairman Teresita Manzala was furnished a copy of Morales’ order for preventive suspension for its immediate implementation.