2 CH men sued over fake permits

Two City Hall employees allegedly responsible for the proliferation of fake business permits have been criminally charged before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas.

The National Bureau of Investigation yesterday filed charges for falsification of public documents and for violation of the Republic Act 3019, otherwise known as the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, against Remberto Cabigon and Sherwin Baguio.

Cabigon and Baguio were identified as the ones who issued fake business permit to the Nolsie Trading along V. Gullas Street.

Mayor Tomas Osmeña ordered the closure of Nolsie Trading on September 29 after it was discovered to have possessed a fake business permit. The firm's owner, Nolasco Cisneros, said they were not aware that they had acquired fake permit.

Cisneros said that Cabigon, who is assigned at the business permit section, offered to process his permit for this year. Baguio, on the other hand, was found responsible for the printing of the permit without the authority from the city government.

Baguio, a casual employee, is a data controller at the City Hall's Management Information and Computer Services.

NBI regional director Medardo de Lemos said that based on their investigation, the two forged the signatures of the officials tasked to issue the business permits as certified by document examiner Romeo Varona of the crime laboratory.

According to de Lemos, Cabigon has been absent without official leave since they started the investigation.

Osmeña earlier requested the NBI to investigate the proliferation of fake business permits in the city because of complaints from owners of the establishments he had ordered closed. - Fred P. Languido