October 10, 2003, The Philippine Star, Another lifestyle check flunkee suspended, by Delon Porcalla,

October 10, 2003, The Philippine Star, Another lifestyle check flunkee suspended, by Delon Porcalla,

A deputy collector at the Bureau of Customs was suspended for six months yesterday by the Office of the Ombudsman after he was found to have committed grave misconduct and dishonesty in violation of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

Jaime Maglipon, assigned at the Clark Special Economic Zone, had accumulated a total of P13.3 million worth of properties which he had not declared in his statement of assets and liabilities (SAL), according to Chief Superintendent Eduardo Matillano, chief of the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.

Maglipon also owns "several luxury cars," among them a Honda Civic, Toyota Prado, Toyota Surf Wagon Hi-Lux and Mitsubishi Pajero, the Office of the Ombudsman said in a statement.

The Ombudsman said Maglipon "declared erroneous entities" in his SAL for 2000 and 2002, and that his real estate firm, North Star Millennium in Pasig City was registered in the name of his brother-in-law, Danilo Ablan.

Maglipon also declared he had only one house in Doña Jesusa Subdivision in Rosario, Pasig, when investigations showed he owned several others in various places, the Ombudsman added.

The Ombudsman said Maglipon had a house built on two lots registered under two separate titles, one in his and his wife's name and the other that of his 26-year-old son, Jaime Jr.

Another lot is registered in the name of his eldest daughter, Arminamel, and being leased to the firm Golden Pandesal, the Ombudsman added.

Investigators said Maglipon did not accurately report his high powered firearms -- a carbine caliber .30, Uzi machine pistol 12-gauge Mossberg shotgun, caliber .45 pistol, caliber .45 colt pistol and an Armalite rifle.

Maglipon is the fourth government official to be suspended after failing the lifestyle check conducted by the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission.

The three others are Public Works and Highways Undersecretary Salvador Pleyto, Romeo Panganiban, DPWH director in Central Luzon, and Flor Aguilar, chief of the miscellaneous division of the Bureau of Customs.

They were charged with graft and unexplained wealth, along with Deputy Customs Commissioner Gil Valera, after investigators discovered their assets were "grossly disproportionate" to their lawful income.