Wednesday, October 17, 2007 Consul to meet with cops on US bonds
UNITED States Honorary Consul John Domingo will meet with police officials today to discuss the discovery of a trunk containing what appears to be US$3 trillion worth of US federal interest coupons.
Also next week, representatives from the US Secret Service will arrive in Manila to study samples sent to the US Embassy, according to Cebu Provincial Police Office Director Carmelo Valmoria.
Dante Orate, attaché of the US Homeland Security Office Immigration and Customs Enforcement, told him that the samples arrived at the embassy Monday.
US Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney has also been informed of the discovery.
Article 166 of the Revised Penal Code penalizes the forging or falsification of treasury or bank notes or certificates, or other obligations and securities payable to bearer.
It also prohibits the “importation and uttering in connivance with forgers or importers of such false or forged obligations or notes.”
Violators are sanctioned reclusion temporal in its minimum period and a fine not exceeding P10,000 pesos. That is, if the document which has been falsified, counterfeited, or altered, is an “obligation or security” of the United States or of the Philippines Islands.
The Revised Penal code defines obligations or securities as “all bonds, certificates of indebtedness, national bank notes, fractional notes, certificates of deposit, bills, checks, or drafts for money, drawn by or upon authorized officers of the United States or of the Philippine Islands, and other representatives of value, of whatever denomination, which have been or may be issued under any act of the Congress of the United States or of the Philippine Legislature.”
While police are leaving it to US officials to determine the bonds’ authenticity, Valmoria expressed belief that the bonds were counterfeit. This is because these contained grammatical errors and discrepancies. With the way the bonds were printed, Valmoria also thinks these were done in the Philippines.
He would not disclose other developments of the investigation, aside from the fact that they now know the owner of the red Kia Sportage that was spotted minutes after the trunk was dumped. They still need to verify the identity of the passengers and other details.
A Caucasian man driving a red Mitsubishi Pajero was seen leaving the trunk in a banana grove in Argao town last Friday.
A red Kia Sportage followed but made a U-turn after seeing curious bystanders milling around the trunk. (MEA)
