Arenas' ex-aide arrested for jewelry scam

MANILA, Philippines - Socialite Rosemarie “Baby” Arenas’ former chief of staff, who is facing charges for her alleged involvement in a multi-million-peso jewelry scam, was arrested by police operatives yesterday afternoon.

Ma. Elena So-Guisande’s arrest was enforced through a search warrant issued by Judge Esteban Tacla Jr. of the Mandaluyong Regional Trial Court.

A Special Weapons and Tactics team from the Southern Police Command served the warrant to Guisande, who has reportedly been staying at the Makati Medical Center for nearly a year.

Her victims alleged that Guisande has been hiding in the hospital by pretending she is sick. Policemen brought her to the National Center for Mental Health in Mandaluyong, where she will undergo tests to check if she is really mentally unstable, as what her camp reportedly claims. If the test results do not bear out her claim, she will instead be brought to the Mandaluyong Police Station. Guisande’s alleged victims have filed syndicated estafa charges against her before the Department of Justice for reportedly pawning very expensive jewelry she had been entrusted to sell as an agent.

The complainants said they lost millions worth of jewelry in the alleged scam, which also involves Guisande’s own relatives.