3 caught for violating Access Devices Act

The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group yesterday arrested three a man and two women during a simultaneous raid in the cities of Cebu and Lapu-Lapu for violating the Access Devices Act.

Ana Marie Litrada of RDP Marine Telecom Management, Ailyn Cuevas of Zenith Telecommunications, and Elmer Cabarrubias of Sealand Telecommunications were arrested by virtue of a search warrant issued by Judge Ireneo Lee Gako, Jr.

Their arrest stemmed from a complaint lodged by Globe Telecommunications before the CIDG last June 8 accusing the firms of violating the Access Devices Act.

Jerome Yntig, Globe Telecom External Affairs head for the Visayas and Mindanao, said that the firms, which are their regular subscribers, paid only the monthly amortization of P400 for residential and P700 for business connections.

But once they installed a landline, they then allegedly engaged in facilitating long distance calls for overseas Filipino workers who would want to contact their families in the Philippines.

Yntig said that in normal circumstances, the calls would supposedly pass through the International Gateway Facility using Globelines, but because these firms have a converter, the calls will only be reflected as domestic which enabled the firms to pay Globe P400 or P700 every month.

On the other hand, the firms reportedly charged their clients the amount equivalent to regular payment for the international calls that allegedly defrauded Globe millions of pesos.

Yntig said the illegal transactions were recently discovered due to excessive calls made by the firms even during unusual hours.

According to him, yesterday's simultaneous raid was the first major operation in the Philippines as far as his company is concerned and that the illegal transactions had greatly reduced Globe's revenue.

CIDG intelligence chief Rex Derilo said that their office received the complaint last June 8.

It was learned that Litrada's office operates two branches in Cebu - one located along Pelaez Street and the other situated on Sanciangko Street.

Cabarrubias revealed that they have been in operation since 1989 under the name Manila Marine, which was changed to Sealand Telecommunications in 1995.

Zenith Telecommunications has three branches located on Mahayahay Road, Bangkal, and in Pusok in Lapu-Lapu City and on Sanciangko Street in Cebu City.

Cuevas, who is in charge of the billing and collection for Zenith Telecommunications, expressed surprised over the raid, claiming that they have the necessary papers issued by the National Telecommunications.

Lawyer Isidoro Atoc, the legal counsel of the accused, told The Freeman that he would file today a motion to quash the search warrant because his clients did not violate the law and have the necessary licenses from the NTC.

Atoc said the respondents should not have been the ones arrested because they were mere employees since the alleged violation was only against their companies.

Access Devices Regulation Act is the law regulating the issuance and use of access devices. - Ryan P. Borinaga