Fake NPAs extort P1-M from Korean engineer

Two men who posed as members of the New People’s Army were arrested over the weekend by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation for allegedly extorting P1.04 million from a Korean project engineer in Pampanga.

NBI Director Reynaldo Wycoco identified those arrested as Nedie Bariacion, 28, of 25 Camp Gressar street, Sauyo, Novaliches, Quezon City; and Ronaldo Clores, the Korean’s driver, of 23 Camp Gressar street, Sauyo, Novaliches, Quezon City.

Wycoco said the suspects were nabbed by NBI Special Action Unit agents led by Vicente de Guzman on Saturday morning during an entrapment at the corner of Jupiter and Paseo de Roxas streets in Makati City.

The NBI said the suspects were arrested while in the act of receiving the marked cash from the victim, who declined not to be identified.

Investigation showed that the victim arrived in the country in November 2001 to work as a project engineer in the Pinatubo Hazard Urgent Mitigation Project in Pampanga.

In March 2002, Clores handed him a letter signed by a certain "Ka Zander," an alleged NPA commander, demanding P20,000 per month as revolutionary tax.

Last Jan. 21, Bariacion appeared at the house of the victim at the Bel-Air Village in Makati City and introduced himself as an agent of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.

According to the NBI, Bariacion then threatened to arrest the victim for supporting the NPA. Bariacion told the victim that he should shell out P300,000 or else be hauled off to jail.

Bariacion later lowered the amount to P80,000 and instructed the victim to prepare P40,000 on Jan. 25 and pay the balance two weeks later.

In the morning of Jan. 25, SAU agents nabbed Bariacion while in the act of receiving the marked cash from the victim. Bariacion later tagged Clores as his partner. — Mike Frialde