2 women faking LTO documents fall

Two women in Quezon City were arrested by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation last week for allegedly "fixing" tampered Land Transportation Office documents.

Arrested were Rufina Rina dela Cruz, 59, of 9 Evangelista St., San Bartolome, Quezon City; and Catherine Soliman, 20, of 6-A Interior F, Castillo St., Project 4, Quezon City.

Three other suspects, identified as Teresita Perolino, Liza Flores, and a certain Christy, all of 29 Makisig St., Pinyahan, Quezon City remain at-large and are being tracked down.

According to the NBI’s Special Action Unit, the arrest of the suspects was made following a complaint filed by victims Dominic and Mary Jolly Guzman.

Investigation showed that the victims sought the help of Perolino in aquiring a franchise for their Toyota Revo Tamaraw FX with license number WLL-846.

After paying P25,000, Perolino gave the victims a photocopy of an application for extension of validity of the certificate of public convenience, license plates (TVJ-594), Land Transportation Office stickers numbered 2800877 and a LTO official receipt numbered 18018436.

The victims, the NBI said, later found out that the documents given them were all spurious. They demanded that their money be returned but Perolino told them to pay an additional P20,000 if they want their license plates and documents "legitimized."

Unconvinced, the victims sought the NBI’s help and an entrapment operation was immediately hatched. The victims learned that the official receipts given them by Perolino were already issued to a certain Marilou Montuano of Remark Transport with address at 273 J.P. Rizal St., Project 4, Quezon City.

The NBI said Dela Cruz and Soliman were nabbed after receiving the marked money from the victims in their office at 29 Makisig St., Pinyahan, Quezon City.

Charges of falsification of public documents were filed in the Manila City Prosecutor’s Office against the arrested suspects who are detained at the NBI jail.