The National Bureau of Investigation-Cebu District Office arrested Paquito Asignar Jr. and City Markets Office job-order worker Rosalito Arong during a Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, entrapment operation for allegedly selling Carbon Public Market stall slots for P50,000.
Investigators stated the suspects falsely claimed close connections to Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival to deceive the complainant, Melinda Bingil, who reported the suspicious deal after being asked to pay P14,000 in marked cash.
The suspects face legal complaints for estafa and usurpation of public authority, with formal inquest proceedings conducted on Thursday, Sept. 3, following positive fluorescent powder tests on their hands.
TWO men—including a Cebu City government job-order worker—were arrested for allegedly selling market stalls by falsely claiming they had top connections at City Hall.
The National Bureau of Investigation-Cebu District Office (NBI-Cebdo) identified the suspects as Paquito Asignar Jr. and Rosalito Arong. Arong is a job-order employee assigned to the Special Action Team of the City Markets Office.
The fake offer
Investigators said the two men claimed they had the authority to help hand out market stall slots. They targeted "bodega" spaces at Carbon Public Market that had previously been taken away from past delinquent renters.
According to the NBI, the suspects told Melinda Bingil, the complainant, that one of them was closely connected to Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival. They offered to secure two stall slots in exchange for P50,000. Suspecting a scam, the victim reported the setup to the City Markets Office and the Carbon market vendors’ association before asking NBI-Cebdo for help.
Caught in the act
Lawmen set up an entrapment operation on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, at around 5:30 p.m. at a meeting site in Puso Village, Barangay Sto. Niño, Cebu City. NBI agents moved in and arrested the two suspects after they accepted P14,000 in marked cash, which included two tagged P500 bills mixed with 28 other P500 bills.
Investigators confirmed that both suspects tested positive for fluorescent powder on their hands, proving they handled the marked bills. The City Markets Office later certified that neither man was allowed to collect money, make deals, or represent the office. Neither suspect was listed on the official roster of registered vendors or stallholders.
Facing prison time
Officers brought the suspects to the NBI-Cebdo office for booking, and formal inquest proceedings were held on Thursday, Sept. 3.
The two face legal complaints for estafa under Article 315 of the Revised Penal Code (in relation to Article 8 as amended by Republic Act No. 10951) and usurpation of public authority. If found guilty, the estafa charge carries a prison sentence ranging from two months and one day up to six years, while the charge for usurpation of public authority carries two to 10 years in prison.