A 24-YEAR-OLD woman was arrested by operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation-Cebu District Office (NBI-Cebdo) after she was caught red-handed selling a fake non-professional driver’s license in front of the Mandaue City Hall on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023.
Authorities identified the suspect as Gia Fernandez Genelaso, a resident of Barangay Labangon, Cebu City.
NBI-Cebdo Agent-in-Charge Arnel Pura said it took them about a week to put the suspect and her illegal activity, transacted through social media, under surveillance before they launched the entrapment operation.
Pura said an NBI agent posted as one of her clients and asked her to process a non-professional driver’s license obtained at the Land Transportation Office (LTO) for P1,500.
Throughout the transaction, Pura said the suspect assured their agent he could get his driver’s license in no time without passing a driving test and complying with the LTO’s qualification requirements, such as the completion of at least eight hours of practical driving course from an LTO-accredited driving school and a valid student driver’s permit, among other conditions.
On Wednesday, Genelaso went to Mandaue to hand in the driver’s license paid through cash on delivery. She got arrested thereafter.
Pura said they sent the license to the LTO Region 7 office to examine its authenticity. The result certification will be used as evidence during NBI’s inquest proceedings against the suspect.
Upon arrest, Pura said the NBI also recovered more counterfeit IDs from Genelaso’s possession, including five Government Service Insurance System-Unified Multi-Purpose ID, five National IDs, three postal IDs, two Bureau of Internal Revenue Tax Identification Number (TIN) cards, one Philhealth card, and one Social Security System ID.
The NBI was also able to confiscate her getaway motorcycle.
Manila-made
Pura said upon inspection, they discovered that the package the IDs was delivered to the suspect by a certain manufacturer in Bulacan. They will send the delivery address to the NBI Bulacan District Office for the latter to determine Genelaso’s cohorts.
Pura said they will also send subpoenas to the ID owners to determine if charges can be filed against them.
“We need to determine if their identities were just used or if they did transact with the subject (suspect) in making these IDs by the internet. She could have clients in Cebu City, where she lives, not only in Mandaue. We cannot determine for sure because transactions could be wide online,” said Pura.
The suspect denied the NBI’s claims in a media interview. She remains in custody of the NBI-Cebdo and will face charges for falsification of public documents in relation to the Republic Act 1075 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
