Manhunt on for ex-governor

They had their chance.

For failing to surrender to authorities twice, a former governor and his wife are now the subject of an intensified manhunt by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

"We are now tracking them down after they failed to show up," said a ranking official of the NBI-International Police (Interpol) Division, referring to former Quezon Gov. Eduardo Rodriguez’s promise to surrender in connection with a case involving insurance fraud in the US. The NBI-Interpol Division is the sole unit responsible for arresting persons facing extradition cases.

The US government wants Rodriguez and his wife Imelda extradited so they can face charges of fraud filed against them by a US-based insurance firm.

Rodriguez allegedly collected $150,000 in death benefits from the firm after claiming and declaring that his wife and mother Gloria Gener had died in a vehicular accident in Antipolo.

The insurance firm later learned that there was no truth to the death of both persons. It filed charges against the couple resulting in the extradition case.

"Although Rodriguez is said to be trying to arrange for a surrender for the third time, our men have started looking for them just in case negotiations don’t work out," the NBI official said.

Rodriguez reportedly failed to show up on May 10 after his wife suffered hypertension. The couple requested to reset the surrender yesterday, but they were no-shows once more.

The couple had been on temporary liberty after posting a P2-million bail for insurance fraud, which the former governor allegedly committed in 1985. The extradition process was initiated in February 1999 upon the request of the US Department of Justice.

As part of the RP-US extradition treaty, Diaz explained, both governments are obliged to help each other to locate any citizen charged with an offense so he could face prosecution.

On May 8, the lower court had to revoke the bail and re-issuance the arrest order in compliance with the Supreme Court ruling that denied bail to extradiatees.

The policy of no-bail for extraditees was first implemented on Manila Rep. Mark Jimenez, who had been charged with $3.5 million tax evasion, wire fraud, six counts of false statement and 33 counts of illegal campaign contribution to the Democratic Party of former President Bill Clinton.

"We heard Rodriguez wants to do what Jimenez did, which is to go to the US voluntarily so they can face the charges leveled against them," Ricardo Diaz, chief of the NBI-Interpol said.

Last Thursday morning, Rodriguez went to the NBI headquarters on Taft Avenue and promised to surrender once the court issued arrest warrants.

Officials of the NBI received a copy of the warrant of arrest for the couple in the afternoon the same day.