Estafa case for former fire department chief, sister

A former chief of the Caloocan City Fire Department and his doctor-sister have been charged with estafa in the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office of more than P100,000.

Charged with estafa are Gen. Oscar Pascual (retired) and Dr. Amelia Pascual, of 19 Finance St., GSIS Village, Project 8, Quezon City and 1633 M. Natividad St., Rizal Avenue, Sta. Cruz, Manila, respectively.

Pedro Cruz Jr., married, and resident of 28 G. Selecta Drive, Balintawak, Quezon City, said the former fire department chief approached him in his residence to accommodate him for a loan of P60,000 and in exchange Pascual issued a post-dated check in said amount. "Knowing him to be the chief of the fire department of Caloocan City and with assurances that he will make good his check on the said due date, I accommodated him for the said amount," Cruz said. The complainant went to the bank to encash the check on its due date but the check was marked "account closed."

"His account had been closed when he wrote the check in payment of his obligation," Cruz said.

Pascual was sent summons to attend court hearings in Barangay Bahay Toro but allegedly failed to show up.

In a similar offense filed against Dr. Amelia Pascual, Cruz said the doctor approached him in his residence to accommodate her for a loan of P57,600 and issued him a post-dated check.

"Knowing her to be a doctor and could easily arrange for the re-payment and with her assurance that she will make good her check on the said date, I accommodated her for the said amount," he said.

However, a branch of the Philippine Savings Bank dishonored and returned the check to the complainant because there was no fund to cover the check. – Pia Lee-Brago