5 charged for falsification

CEBU - Criminal charges for falsification of public documents were filed yesterday by the National Bureau of Investigation against five employees of a photocopying center in Mandaue City who were arrested while allegedly in the act of counterfeiting drivers’ licenses.

The Mandaue City Prosecutors’ Office has indicted NS Ocana Xerox Copy Center employees Maricel Labrado, Rolly Zanoria, Jonathan Dela Serna, Edsel Valles and Mary Ann Portugaliza for falsification of public documents before the Regional Trial Court.

NBI operatives arrested them last Friday afternoon during an entrapment operation for allegedly manufacturing bogus drivers’ licenses.

The entrapment operation was based on the request of Domingo Cortes, head of the Mandaue Traffic Group, who noticed the proliferation of fake licenses.

An NBI agent conducted surveillance operations and said the photocopying center counterfeited licenses.

The agent had his driver’s license duplicated at the photocopying center and found out that the reproduction looked like the original.

The agent inquired from Labrado and Zanoria if they could reproduce an original LTO license. The agent’s license was then given to Dela Serna, the machine operator, for photocopying.

From Dela Serna the fake license was given to Valles for lamination before it was finally released by the cashier, Portugaliza, upon payment.

The center allegedly charges P110 for the reproduction of the original driver’s license.After having confirmed the report, the NBI immediately planned the entrapment operation last Friday, which led to the arrest of the five employees.

NBI operatives recovered from Portugaliza’s possession the marked money used in the entrapment operation.– Fred P. Languido/BRP (THE FREEMAN)