Ex-NBI man nabbed for recruiting agents

A former employee of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) was arrested yesterday for recruiting confidential agents for a fee in Manila yesterday.

Arrested was Arnel Santiago Lorenzo, 36, former NBI contractual employee, of Barangay San Dionisio, Parañaque.

The suspect was nabbed inside a fastfood restaurant along Gen. Luna street in Ermita, last Wednesday afternoon after receiving marked money from an undercover agent, who pretended to be applying for a job as confidential agent of the NBI.

Lorenzo’s alleged modus operandi was to entice individuals to become confidential agents for a package fee of P25,000 and another P3,000 for the gun ban exemption being implemented by the Commission on Elections.

Records showed Lorenzo had already "recruited" Rommel Conde, Amerodin Naga and Eduardo Corocoto and were given NBI security access cards and NBI badges. The complainants were told that the appointment papers as confidential agents of the NBI would be released soon.

Upon verification of their appointment at the NBI headquarters, the complainants learned that their papers were fake.

NBI Director Reynaldo Wycoco had cancelled all the accreditation of confidential agents as early as July 2002 following numerous complaints of abuses.

After learning the case, Wycoco tapped a special task force under lawyer Marianito Panganiban to conduct an investigation and arrest the suspect.

Panganiban dispatched an agent to contact Lorenzo for an entrapment operation that led to his arrest. Lorenzo said the fake documents were being prepared in C.M. Recto, Manila. — Cecille Suerte Felipe