“Counterfeiter” free again

CEBU, Philippines - After his second arrest for manufacturing fake peso and dollar bills, Richard Uy was again released after posting P50,000 bail yesterday.

The 65-year-old man was charged yesterday in violation of Article 166 and 168 of the Revised Penal Code for forging, using and possessing false bank notes. Uy’s release order was signed by Regional Trial Court Branch 6 Judge Ester Veloso 5PM yesterday.

Upon inquest, Uy chose not to submit himself to preliminary investigation.

Uy was arrested Monday night in a buy-bust operation conducted by the Investigation and Detection Management (IDMB) of the Cebu City Police Office after he sold police decoys twenty pieces of fake P1,000 bills.

He was nabbed in his makeshift house that served as the manufacturing area in Barangay Kasambagan.

At least P3 million worth of fake peso and dollar bills were seized from Uy during the operation. A stamper, computer monitor, printer, and other counterfeiting equipment were also confiscated. The police also found several fake driver’s licenses, diplomas, SSS identification cards, and transcript of records.

Uy is reportedly operating alone and his clients include those who smuggle fake peso bills to Malaysia where they are exchanged for ringgit. His counterfeiting business reportedly operates only when there are orders and the fake bills are sold from P90 to P250.

Uy was arrested last year by the National Bureau of Investigation-7 for the same illegal activity but was able to bail worth P20, 000 for his temporary liberty.

He did not resist arrest but allegedly attempted to bribe his arresting officers saying he can provide intelligence funds to the CCPO with his fake money

Meanwhile, The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is giving monetary reward to those who can tip authorities on manufacturers of fake bills in the country.

Lawyer Alex Nuñez, Bank Officer of the Investigation Division for Cash Department of BSP Quezon City, went to the office of Cebu City Police Office director Mariano Natuel Jr. yesterday in connection with the confiscation of fake peso and US dollar bills amounting to P3 million last Monday.

Nuñez gave tips on how to distinguish fake bills from genuine ones since fake bills being circulated in Cebu and the rest of the country are hardly indistinguishable.

The BSP official was also armed with a document certifying that several pieces of P1,000 bills recovered from Richard Uy are fake, which is necessary in the filing of the case against the suspect.

Uy, 65, was arrested Monday night during a buy-bust operation in Barangay Kasambagan after yielding fake bills and machines used in manufacturing them.

He was arrested after handing over 20 pieces of counterfeit P1,000 bills in exchange for P2,000 to policemen who posed as decoys.

According to Nuñez, they will not be giving a reward to the informant of last Monday’s operation since the police coordinated with them only after the operation.

Chief Insp. Aileen Recla, head of the City Investigation and Detective Management Branch that led the operation, explained that there was an urgency to conduct the operation so they failed to coordinate with BSP beforehand.

With the circulation of fake money nationwide, Nuñez said they intensified their intelligence gathering on manufacturers with the help of law enforcement agencies.

Nuñez gave out tips to distinguish fake bills from genuine ones, among which is basically detecting it through looking and touching it keenly.

These include the quality of the paper, security fibers, watermark and security threads on the bills among others.

Natu-el said BSP will conduct a forum at CCPO today further inform the public about this serious matter. — (FREEMAN)