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Sunday, October 03, 2004
Fake PCIJ member nabbed for cellphone shop extort
By Dante M. Fabian
ANGELES CITY -- A woman posing as a member of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) landed in jail after receiving cash and cellphones from a businessman during an entrapment at the Nepo Mall last Friday afternoon.
In reports to Sr. Supt. Jimmy F. Restua, Angeles City Police Office (ACPO) director, investigators identified the suspect as Rina Manalo, single, of 362 Ma. Christina St., Tondo, Manila.
The suspect, using a fake press card, poses as a member of the PCIJ, Kapisan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) and the Philippine Association of Freelance Writers (PAFW), and is allegedly preying cellphone dealers.
Manalo reportedly operates together with two men who were able to escape during the entrapment set at the Firenzi Coffee Shop on the second floor of the Nepo Mall.
The suspect is now in jail on charges of estafa, extortion and usurpation of authority.
Insp. Lordita Pascual, Station 1 chief filed the charges after her arrest by policemen and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) confidential agents Felix Torres, businessmen Sonny Pimentel and Jeffrey Ponce, the victim.
Pimentel, Jeffrey and Torres set the entrapment after the victim's brother, Jerry Ponce found out that the suspect is not a member of the PCIJ when he verified through a telephone call with PCIJ Executive Director Sheila Coronel.
Ody Fabian, The Voice publisher and PCIJ coordinator for Central Luzon who went to the ACPO Police Station 1 upon receiving reports of Manalo's arrest, said the suspect is not known as a member of any media outlet or organization in the region.
Ponce reported that last Thursday, the female suspect, along with two men, went to his shop at the Nepo Mall and threatened him of being subjected to scrutiny by "Imbestigador" television program host Mike Enriquez on their cellphone stocks, saying criminal charges might be filed against him on accusations of selling stolen units.
PO3 Enrique P. Guevarra and PO1 Fernando C. Tolentino recovered from Manalo a P500 bill with serial number RK136225, a Nokia 3310 cellphone marked with a signature of the victim in the inner box, and a Nokia 8250 cellphone with serial number 350603305235514.
Guevarra and Tolentino found the items inside an envelope sealed upon the instructions of Manalo to Ponce during her first visit to his cellphone shop last Thursday.
In a letter-reply to Ponce's inquiry, Coronel said Manalo has never been connected with the PCIJ which she stressed does not have staff stationed outside of Manila.
Coronel added that PCIJ has only 14 card-bearing staff members and there has never been and there is no Rina Manalo among them, meaning that the ID card Manalo is using is fake, using logos and other information probably copied from the PCIJ website.
(October 3, 2004 issue)
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