Quezon City cops nab 2 forgery suspects; politicians eyed as clients

MANILA, Philippines - Quezon City policemen arrested Wednesday two alleged members of a syndicate manufacturing counterfeit money.

Police also found a text message on a cell phone owned by suspect Rodolfo Caimen indicating that one of his alleged clients is a politician seeking to use the fake bills in the May 2010 polls.

The syndicate to which Caimen and fellow suspect Shirley Nacion belong has reportedly been operating for at least five years, manufacturing the fake bills in different areas of Bulacan province.

Nacion and Caimen were arrested by members of the Quezon City Police District-District Police Intelligence Operating Unit (QCPD-DPIOU) Wednesday in separate operations in Cubao and Meycauayan, Bulacan.

Apart from several counterfeit P1,000 bills recovered from both suspects, policemen also seized from Caimen’s house silk screens, some with silhouettes of watermarks for the fake money, said Superintendent Marcelino Pedrozo Jr., head of the QCPD-DPIOU.

“There was even a text message seen in Caimen’s phone about what seemed to be an order from a client for P1 million worth of fake P1,000 bills,” Pedrozo told The STAR in an interview.

Chief Inspector Enrico Figueroa, who headed the operation, told The STAR that the text message seen on Caimen’s phone read: “Shirley, order ako worth P1 million, may kumukuha sa akin, gagamitin sa election (Shirley, I’m ordering worth P1 million, someone’s getting from me, to be used in the election).”

But Figueroa said Nacion has refused to divulge the other people involved in their operation. “This group has been operating in Region 3 particularly in Bulacan, but now they are trying to break into Metro Manila,” he said.

According to Figueroa, there have been earlier reports about shops in Cubao “saying they had been paid with the counterfeit money.” He said they later found an informant who told them Caimen sold the fake bills.

Figueroa said during a “test buy,” Caimen sold a fake P1,000 bill to an informant for P200. He said Caimen eventually pointed to Nacion as his supplier, saying he had been getting the fake money from her for about five years.

“We also received information that there were other people based in the province, aside from Nacion, who are also with them in printing the fake denominations,” Figueroa said. 

Nacion told The STAR she was not aware that the printing machines and the fake bills were mixed with her late husband’s possessions.

Apart from the printing equipment and 55 fake P1,000 bills, Police Officer 2 Jerry Godes said they also recovered from Nacion 39 fake traveler’s checks, each worth 500 Norwegian krona; 11 fake $500 traveler’s checks, and three fake $100 traveler’s checks.
Pedrozo said the suspects are facing charges of illegal possession and use of false treasury or bank notes and instruments. Bail has been set at P30,000 each for the two suspects’ temporary release.