"LTO employee" charged for estafa

CEBU, Philippines - A charge of estafa has been filed against a man who pretended to be an employee of Land Transportation Office and demanded over P21,000 from the complainant in exchange of ownership and renewal of registration of the latter’s vehicle.

Prosecutor Richard Abangan, Sr. said he sent a subpoena to Benito Campungan Jr. asking him to explain his side on the accusation but he failed to do so.

With this, he elevated the case against the accused to the Regional Trial Court and recommended P16,000 bail for for Campungan’s temporary liberty.

The complainant, Diego Ejara Mahania, Jr, 34, resident of Sitio Proper, Barangay Perrelos, Carcar, is engaged in a buy and sell of scrap iron in their place.

Because of his business, Mahania said he has the chance to buy a minibus sometime in July 2010 with franchise from a certain Concepcion Languido in Barangay Roasario, Aloguinsan.

Mahania said he went to the LTO-Carcar branch in Sitio Tubod, Barangay Valladolid, Carcar to process the change of ownership, change body, drop of the franchise and to renew the registration of the said vehicle.

When he arrived there, the complainant said Campungan approached him, pretending to be an employee of LTO and convinced him that he will be the one to process the documents because he can facilitate easily the renewal and change of ownership considering he had friends inside to do the process.

Mahania said after the accused narrated to him the required fees, he immediately gave the P21,771 to the accused. In return, the accused promised him that he can finish it the next month.

But, when Mahania returned to the LTO office, he was surprised when the accused failed to do his promise and instead gave alibis.

The complainant then reported the incident to their barangay. The barangay captain called the attention of the accused, who appeared only once in the hearing prompting the barangay captain to issue a certification to file action.

“The uncontested evidence is airtight to hold herein accused for trial since all the elements of the crime estafa are present, like deceit and damage. Moreover herein accused is positively identified as the one who perpetrated the said crime,” Abangan said. (FREEMAN)