One down in drive vs fake CTCs

A 40-year-old man operating in a lawyer’s makeshift office just across the city judicial complex in Caloocan City became the first casualty in City Hall’s ongoing drive against fake community tax certificates (CTCs), or "cedulas."

Caloocan City Mayor Enrico Echiverri identified the suspect as Eduardo Tagle, 39, a resident of Oroquieta, Manila.

Echiverri warned the public to transact only with legitimate tellers at City Hall and not at unauthorized places to avoid getting duped. He said fake documents could only waste so much of the unsuspecting public’s money, effort and time in the long run.

The mayor earlier informed Bureau of Internal Revenue chief Jose Bunag about the reported fake CTCs in a letter sent two days ago.

Chief Inspector Crisencio Galvez, City Police Intelligence Branch chief, quickly sent PO2s Marlon Bingayen, Joel Caysip and Leonardo Ferrer shortly before noon the other day to the suspect’s place on 10th Avenue on Echiverri’s orders.

Two other persons, a bondsman and an operator of a security agency, who claimed they were just applying for cedulas, were arrested together with Tagle at the office allegedly rented by a notary public from Bulacan.

They were later released after they were cleared by police.

"They were just at the wrong place at the wrong time," Bingayen said.

Two officers from the City Treasurer’s Office confirmed Tagle’s illegal activities in a test-buy.

Seized from Tagle were some 25 bogus certificates, which, when held against ultraviolet (UV) light of a money detector at City Hall, were confirmed to be fake.

Tagle issued a copy each of the CTCs for only P25 even as the city government imposed a higher fee of P29.15 for unemployed residents of legal age in the city.

While under questioning, Tagle pointed to a certain "Vicky" as his supplier from Makati City.

The suspect also pointed to several areas including the former City Hall annex on 9th Avenue and the LRT North Mall, where others like him ply the same trade.

Tagle has been charged with falsification of public documents before the city prosecutor’s office.