Manila: A customs clerk caught beating a student and shooting at his Toyota while driving a 5-million peso (Dh433,867) second-hand Porsche on the South Luzon Expressway last month was demoted pending an investigation into the road rage incident, sources said.
The suspect, Paulino Elevado, has been assigned tasks normally handled by messengers and clerks in a big step down from his post as an administrative aide after it came to light that he had stopped reporting at the Bureau of Customs on January 25. He has now been posted to the Human Resource Department until the investigation is completed, Customs Chief Ruffy Biazon told the Philippine Star.
"[At the same time] I will not spare Mr Elevado from the rightful and legal penalty that he deserves. He has undermined my efforts to reform the Bureau of Customs and has tarnished the name of each and every employee and official of the agency," Biazon said in a statement after Elevado surfaced from hiding and met him on February 7.
On January 21, policemen caught Elevado and businessman Florencio Bato in a hotel in Pasay City. They were detained for two days at the police station before being released.
A 20-year old student complained that he and his companion were beaten up by Elevado and his companion after his car dented Elevado's Porsche on January 21.
Elevado pulled out his service revolver and shot at the student's car in front of the Marriott Hotel. The incident and subsequent car chase were caught by a surveillance camera.
Elevado and Bato could face charges of inflicting physical injury and attempted murder. The unidentified student was reportedly the son of a politician, another source said.
Biazon was appointed five months ago to clean up the Bureau of Customs, assessed as the government's most corrupt agency.
