OPERATIVES of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) have arrested two persons who have been posing as lawmakers in order to extort money from other politicians.
Dennis Jose Borbon, 24, a former congressional staff of 1-Ang Edukasyon Partylist, and Edgar Paulo James Bularan, 30, were arrested after an entrapment operation on Wednesday, July 31 in Barangay Baritan in Malabon City. Both are from Camarines Sur.
They will be charged with violation of Computer-Related Identity Theft under Republic Act No. 10175, also known as the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, and estafa.
The entrapment operation stemmed from the complaint lodged by Cavite Vice Governor Jolo Revilla and Camarines Sur Representative Arnulf Fuentebella.
In an interview in Camp Crame, Fuentebella said he got a call from Revilla over the weekend, who said he had already sent the money that Fuentebella was asking for.
According to Revilla, the suspect who called his personal number and introduced himself as Fuentebella, claimed to have lost his wallet while on vacation in Palawan and asked for P25,000.
Fuentebella said that prior to Revilla's call, 1-Pacman Representative Michael Romero also called him and said that someone has made a Viber account using his photo and asking other lawmakers for cash.
During the entrapment operation, the suspects tried to withdraw the money sent by Revilla via an automated teller machine (ATM).
A day before Borbon and Bularan were arrested, police also conducted an entrapment operation against a man named Menard Gregg Bassa, 20, and reportedly a cohort of the suspects.
Bassa was arrested after receiving the amount of P10,000 from Revilla at a local remittance center in Camarines Sur at around 7:00 p.m. on July 30.
Fuentebella said at least eight lawmakers, including some senators, were victimized by the suspects.
He said they also tried to extort money from Senator Christopher Lawrence Go who found out their modus after calling Fuentebella.
Go said he sent one peso to the suspects who used an account named after Borbon. (VoxPop Philippines)