Woman arrested while trying to bribe policemen

A 31-year-old woman was arrested by members of the Vice Control Section inside the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Branch office of the Cebu City Police Office yesterday noon for trying to bribe policemen in exchange for her arrested brother's freedom.

Julie Nabua of A. Lopez Street, sitio Mahayahay, barangay Calamba, Cebu City, allegedly tried bribing C/Insp. George Ylanan so that her jailed brother Francisco Nabua, alias "Patok", 33, who was arrested last Friday afternoon in Calamba, would be freed.

Julie brought with her a bundle of money in different denominations totaling P70,000 that was wrapped by packaging tape that she opened infront of Ylanan. As she put the money on the table Ylanan arrested her.

She will be charged for bribery today together with her elder brother Francisco who was arrested in a buy-bust operation led by PO3 Jeffrey Larrobis of the Vice Control Section at the interior portion of Calamba.

Julie, when asked about the bribery attempt, denied knowing that it was a bribe for the police and claimed that she was just asked by the wife of her brother, a certain Daling Villanueva, to give the money to the police.

Francisco Nabua is reportedly a Level 2 drug pusher who can dispose of at least 200 grams up to a kilo of shabu per week.

During last Friday's operation a poseur-buyer successfully bought a pack of shabu from Francisco for P200, resulting to his arrest. After his arrest the police also recovered another pack of suspected shabu in his pocket and the buy-bust money.

Francisco also denied asking his relatives to help him out by bribing the policemen.

But Ylanan told reporters that after his arrest last Friday he tried to bribe Larrobis, prompting Larrobis to report it to him. Ylanan then prepared his men for an entrapment operation but changed his mind after learning that the man who will give the money is not a related to Nabua, fearing that it would weaken the case.

But early yesterday morning, Julie went to Cebu City Police Office and tried to bribe them, prompting Ylanan to arrange another entrapment.

Ylanan said that the persistence of Nabua in bribing the police only showed Francisco was guilty of the crime and added that they might have been mistaken as one of the groups of policemen who can be bought. -Edwin Ian Melecio